AbstractThree dissipative (two viscoelastic and one viscous) ice models are implemented in the spectral wave model WAVEWATCH III to estimate the ice-induced wave attenuation rate. These models are then explored and intercompared through hindcasts of two field cases: one in the autumn Beaufort Sea in 2015 and the other in the Antarctic marginal ice zone (MIZ) in 2012. The capability of these dissipative models, along with their limitations and applicability to operational forecasts, are analyzed and discussed. The sensitivity of the simulated wave height to different source terms—the ice-induced wave decay S_ice and other physical processes S_other (e.g., wind input, nonlinear four-wave interactions)—is also investigated. For the Antarctic MIZ experiment, S_other is found to be remarkably less than S_ice and thus contributes little to the simulated significant wave height H_s. The saturation of dH_s/dx at large wave heights in this case, as reported by a previous study, is well reproduced by the three dissipative ice models with or without the utilization of S_other in the ice-infested seas. A clear downward trend in the peak frequency f_p is found as H_s increases. As f_p decreases, the dominant wave components of a wave spectrum will experience reduced damping by sea ice, and finally result in the flattening of dH_s/dx for H_s > 3 m in this specific case. Nonetheless, S_other should not be disregarded within a more general modeling perspective, as our simulations suggest S_other could be comparable to S_ice in the Beaufort Sea case where wave and ice conditions are remarkably different.