The Formation of Brine Drainage Features in Young Sea Ice
Laboratory experiments on the growth of sea ice in a very thin plastic tank filled with salt water, cooled from above and insulated with thermopane, clearly show the formation and development of brine drainage channels. The sea-water freezing cell is 0.3 cm thick by 35 cm wide by 50 cm deep; the the...
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Language: | English |
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Cambridge University Press (CUP)
1975
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0022143000013460 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0022143000013460 |
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crcambridgeupr:10.1017/s0022143000013460 2024-03-03T08:45:27+00:00 The Formation of Brine Drainage Features in Young Sea Ice Ingolf Eide, Lars Martin, Seelye 1975 http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0022143000013460 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0022143000013460 en eng Cambridge University Press (CUP) Journal of Glaciology volume 14, issue 70, page 137-154 ISSN 0022-1430 1727-5652 Earth-Surface Processes journal-article 1975 crcambridgeupr https://doi.org/10.1017/s0022143000013460 2024-02-08T08:37:11Z Laboratory experiments on the growth of sea ice in a very thin plastic tank filled with salt water, cooled from above and insulated with thermopane, clearly show the formation and development of brine drainage channels. The sea-water freezing cell is 0.3 cm thick by 35 cm wide by 50 cm deep; the thermopane insulation permits the ice interior to be photographed. Experimentally, we observe that vertical channels with diameters of 1 to 3 mm and associated smaller feeder channels extend throughout the ice sheet. Close examination of the brine channels show that their diameter at the ice-water interface is much narrower than higher up in the ice, so that the channel has a “neck” at the interface. Further, oscillations occur in the brine channels, in that brine flows out of the channel followed by a flow of sea-water up into the channel. Theoretically, a qualitative theory based on the difference in pressure head between the brine inside the ice and the sea-water provides a consistent explanation for the formation of the channels, and the onset of a convective instability explains the existence of the neck. Finally, an analysis based on the presence of the brine-channel neck provides an explanation for the observed oscillations. Article in Journal/Newspaper Ice Sheet Journal of Glaciology Sea ice Cambridge University Press Journal of Glaciology 14 70 137 154 |
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Open Polar |
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Cambridge University Press |
op_collection_id |
crcambridgeupr |
language |
English |
topic |
Earth-Surface Processes |
spellingShingle |
Earth-Surface Processes Ingolf Eide, Lars Martin, Seelye The Formation of Brine Drainage Features in Young Sea Ice |
topic_facet |
Earth-Surface Processes |
description |
Laboratory experiments on the growth of sea ice in a very thin plastic tank filled with salt water, cooled from above and insulated with thermopane, clearly show the formation and development of brine drainage channels. The sea-water freezing cell is 0.3 cm thick by 35 cm wide by 50 cm deep; the thermopane insulation permits the ice interior to be photographed. Experimentally, we observe that vertical channels with diameters of 1 to 3 mm and associated smaller feeder channels extend throughout the ice sheet. Close examination of the brine channels show that their diameter at the ice-water interface is much narrower than higher up in the ice, so that the channel has a “neck” at the interface. Further, oscillations occur in the brine channels, in that brine flows out of the channel followed by a flow of sea-water up into the channel. Theoretically, a qualitative theory based on the difference in pressure head between the brine inside the ice and the sea-water provides a consistent explanation for the formation of the channels, and the onset of a convective instability explains the existence of the neck. Finally, an analysis based on the presence of the brine-channel neck provides an explanation for the observed oscillations. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Ingolf Eide, Lars Martin, Seelye |
author_facet |
Ingolf Eide, Lars Martin, Seelye |
author_sort |
Ingolf Eide, Lars |
title |
The Formation of Brine Drainage Features in Young Sea Ice |
title_short |
The Formation of Brine Drainage Features in Young Sea Ice |
title_full |
The Formation of Brine Drainage Features in Young Sea Ice |
title_fullStr |
The Formation of Brine Drainage Features in Young Sea Ice |
title_full_unstemmed |
The Formation of Brine Drainage Features in Young Sea Ice |
title_sort |
formation of brine drainage features in young sea ice |
publisher |
Cambridge University Press (CUP) |
publishDate |
1975 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0022143000013460 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0022143000013460 |
genre |
Ice Sheet Journal of Glaciology Sea ice |
genre_facet |
Ice Sheet Journal of Glaciology Sea ice |
op_source |
Journal of Glaciology volume 14, issue 70, page 137-154 ISSN 0022-1430 1727-5652 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1017/s0022143000013460 |
container_title |
Journal of Glaciology |
container_volume |
14 |
container_issue |
70 |
container_start_page |
137 |
op_container_end_page |
154 |
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1792501008239165440 |