Thermal evolution of permeability and microstructure in sea ice

Abstract

[1] The fluid permeability k of sea ice constrains a broad range of processes, such as the growth and decay of seasonal ice, the evolution of summer ice albedo, and biomass build-up. Such processes are critical to how sea ice and associated ecosystems respond to climate change. However, studies of k and its dependence on brine porosity f and microstructure are sparse. Here we present a multifaceted theory for k(f) which closely captures laboratory and field data. X-ray computed tomography provides an unprecedented look at the brine phase and its connectivity. We find that sea ice displays universal transport properties remarkably similar to crustal rocks, yet over a much narrower temperature range. Our results yield simple parameterizations for fluid transport in terms of temperature and salinity, and permit more realistic representations of sea ice in global climate and biological models. Citation:

CO<sub>2</sub> and CH<sub>4</sub> in sea ice from a subarctic fjord under influence of riverine input

“…The ice porosity profiles (i.e., brine volume fractions) were similar to those for the bulk ice salinity. For each profile, the brine volume fraction dropped under the permeability threshold of 5 % (Golden et al, 1998(Golden et al, , 2007 at 25 and at 45 cm (Fig. 2d).…”

“…According to the literature (e.g., Eicken et al, 1998;Souchez et al, 1987Souchez et al, , 1988, the fractionation rate depends on the freezing rate and on the thickness of the boundary layer. The fractionation coefficients at typical sea-ice growth velocities Golden et al (1998), (2007), (e) Rayleigh number, Ra, the solid and dotted lines are a reference value for the convection threshold according to Notz and Worster (2009) and Vancoppenolle et al (2010), respectively, (f) the total gas content in the ice cover; the white circle represent the air concentration at saturation within the ice and the dotted line is a reference value for the total gas content for instant freezing seawater (Cox and Weeks, 1983).…”

Fractal structures in freezing brine

“…Alyaev, E. Keilegavlen, J. M. Nordbotten and I. S. Pop through laboratory experiments and numerical simulations Eide & Martin (1975), Allison et al (1985), Worster (1992), Eicken (2003), Vancoppenolle, Fichefet & Bitz (2006), Golden et al (2007), Peppin et al (2007), Notz & Worster (2008), Hunke et al (2011), Wells, Wettlaufer & Orszag (2011), Jones, Ingham & Eicken (2012). These experimental studies provide the basis for the heuristic relationships required when developing computational models, which in their turn are needed for understanding large-scale dynamics.…”

Anderson Transition for Classical Transport in Composite Materials

“…A fascinating feature of RMT is that eigenvalue statistics arising in a broad range of unrelated systems exhibit the same universal behavior -from nuclear spectra [5,26] and mesoscopic conductors [25] to random graphs [29] and quantum chaos [5]. Here we explore the transition to GOE universality in the 2D and 3D RRN, as well as in 2D discretizations of the brine microstructure of sea ice [30,31], melt ponds on the surface of Arctic sea ice [32], the sea ice pack itself, and porous human bone [33].…”