  The discrete element method (DEM) can provide detailed descriptions of sea
ice dynamics that explicitly model floes and discontinuities in the ice, which
can be challenging to represent accurately with current models. However,
floe-scale stresses that inform lead formation in sea ice are difficult to
calculate in current DEM implementations. In this paper, we use the ParticLS
software library to develop a DEM that models the sea ice as a collection of
discrete rigid particles that are initially bonded together using a cohesive
beam model that approximates the response of an Euler-Bernoulli beam located
between particle centroids. Ice fracture and lead formation are determined
based on the value of a non-local Cauchy stress state around each particle and
a Mohr-Coulomb fracture model. Therefore, large ice floes are modeled as
continuous objects made up of many bonded particles that can interact with each
other, deform, and fracture. We generate particle configurations by
discretizing the ice in MODIS satellite imagery into polygonal floes that fill
the observed ice shape and extent. The model is tested on ice advecting through
an idealized channel and through Nares Strait. The results indicate that the
bonded DEM model is capable of qualitatively capturing the dynamic sea ice
patterns through constrictions such as ice bridges, arch kinematic features,
and lead formation. In addition, we apply spatial and temporal scaling analyses
to illustrate the model's ability to capture heterogeneity and intermittency in
the simulated ice deformation.
