The freeezing behaviour of supercooled water drops

• Published in: Journal of Glaciology
• Main Authors: Gay, M. J., Latham, J.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 1976
• Subjects: Earth-Surface Processes; Journal of Glaciology
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0022143000030756; https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0022143000030756

Abstract An electrodynamic containment system has been used to study the freeezing behaviour of supercooled water drops, of radius range 25 to 90 μm. The drops were freozen at temperatures between 0 and — 29°C in an environment whose relative humidity was approximately 90% with respect to ice. Freezing events were observed visually and photographically, and measurements were mager of the accompanying freactional mass loss Δm/m . The most common moger of freeezing (70% of the drops studied) resulted in an apparently spherical ice particle. However, 18% exhibited spikes or other protuberances and the freeezing of 3% was accompanied by the ejection of numerous ice particles. In each of these situations values of Δm/m ranged freom about 5 to 15%. A further 9% of the drops exhibited one or more secondary mass-loss events, occurring several seconds after the freeezing process was complete; these were thus indicative of the ejection of ice particles. Almost all of the values of Δm/m were significantly in excess of those predicted on the basis of evaporation during freeezing, suggesting that an additional mechanism of mass loss was also present. The measured freeezing times were consigerrably shorter than the classical values—at least, for the larger drops freeezing at warmer temperatures. Some visual observations were consistent with the “supersaturation wave” around a freeezing drop, which has been predicted by Nix and Fukuta (1974).