The retreat of Arctic sea ice is enabling increased ocean surface wave
activity at the sea ice edge, yet the physical processes governing
interactions between waves and sea ice are not fully understood. Here,
we use a collection of in situ observations of waves in ice to evaluate
a recent global climate model experiment that includes coupled
interactions between ocean waves and the sea ice floe size distribution.
Observations come from subsurface moorings and free-drifting buoys
spanning 2012-2019 in the Beaufort Sea, and we group the data based on
distance inside the ice edge for comparison with model results. Locally
generated wind waves are relatively prevalent in observations beyond 100
km inside the ice but are absent in the model. Low-frequency swell,
however, is present in the model, while subsurface moorings located more
than 100 km inside the ice do not report any swell with significant wave
height exceeding the instruments' detection limits. These results
motivate further model development and future observing campaigns,
suggesting that local wave generation inside the ice edge may play a
significant role for floe fracture while demonstrating a need for more
robust constraints on wave attenuation by sea ice.