  This article develops for the first time a rigorous analysis of Hibler's
model of sea ice dynamics. Identifying Hibler's ice stress as a quasilinear
second order operator and regarding Hibler's model as a quasilinear evolution
equation, it is shown that Hibler's coupled sea ice model, i.e., the model
coupling velocity, thickness and compactness of sea ice, is locally strongly
well-posed within the $L_q$-setting and also globally strongly well-posed for
initial data close to constant equilibria.
