Preliminary study of the transition of sea ice during the melting process

• Main Authors: Shinsuke Kojima, Toshiyuki Kawamura, Hiroyuki Enomoto
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Published: Kitami Institute of Technology/Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University/Kitami Institute of Technology 2005
• Subjects: melting experiment; sea ice transition; porous layer; temperature variation; snow transformation; Polar meteorology and glaciology; Sea ice
• Online Access: https://nipr.repo.nii.ac.jp/?action=repository_uri&item_id=2992; http://id.nii.ac.jp/1291/00002992/; https://nipr.repo.nii.ac.jp/?action=repository_action_common_download&item_id=2992&item_no=1&attribute_id=18&file_no=1

In order to understand the transition in sea ice, snow transformation, and temperature variations, we carried out tank experiments in a cold room. In the melting experiment of bare ice, the transition of the condition of the ice surface was observed through visual observations and reflectance measurements. The first change was manifested in the surface becoming wet and acquiring a rough texture. Subsequently, a porous layer was formed under the ice surface. Since this layer scattered the incident light, it appeared as a bright surface. The reflectance of this surface was high as compared with that measured during the initial stages of melting. However, this thin scattering layer disappeared as the melting progressed. As a result, the reflectance was reduced to its value during the initial stage of melting. In the melting experiments on snow covered sea ice, the structure of snow-ice became porous and mechanically weak before the thickness reduction commenced. The temperature gradients of bare ice and snow covered ice were small during the melting process compared to those during the growth period.