Icepack Recent Changes

Important changes to the code on the master branch since the last numbered release

Date of last update: 17 Aug 2026

By: T. Craig

Last numbered release: Icepack v1.5.3 (Jan 30, 2026)

Relative to the last release, these results changes answers for calc_Tsfc=.false., for snow and bgc configurations as a result of changes to enforce the minimum snow grain radius, and in the Icepack bgc standalone because of changes in the Icepack driver (not the columnphysics).

Major Changes

Bug fixes

• Add flux limiting when the vertical thermodynamic solver is forced by prescribed surface fluxes (calc_Tsfc = .false.). This changes answers when calc_Tsfc=.false. #557
• Enforce minimum snow grain radius. This changes answers in the snow and bgc configurations #552

Enhancements

• Update Derecho port #561
• Fix uninitialized values including some errors in bgc initialization that affects answers in Icepack standalone (in the driver) but not in the Icepack columnphysics or in CICE #561
• Update job checking implementation #554

Documentation

• Update .zenodo.json author list #553
• Update snwredist documentation #560
• Fix unsafe comment in code, should not have backslash () at the end of a line #562
• Update the forum links in the documentation #566

Summary of Icepack interface changes