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AGU: Geophysical Research Letters

 

Keywords

  • sea ice
  • permeability
  • microstructure

Index Terms

  • Biogeosciences: Life in extreme environments
  • Cryosphere: Sea ice
  • Global Change: Cryospheric change
  • Oceanography: General: Arctic and Antarctic oceanography

Abstract

GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS, VOL. 34, L16501, 6 PP., 2007
doi:10.1029/2007GL030447

Thermal evolution of permeability and microstructure in sea ice

K. M. Golden

University of Utah, Department of Mathematics, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

H. Eicken

Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, Alaska, USA

A. L. Heaton

University of Utah, Department of Mathematics, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

J. Miner

Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, Alaska, USA

D. J. Pringle

Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, Alaska, USA

Arctic Region Supercomputing Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, Alaska, USA

J. Zhu

University of Utah, Department of Mathematics, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

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 φ and microstructure are sparse. Here we present a multifaceted theory for k(φ) 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.

Received 20 April 2007; accepted 27 June 2007; published 16 August 2007.

Citation: Golden, K. M., H. Eicken, A. L. Heaton, J. Miner, D. J. Pringle, and J. Zhu (2007), Thermal evolution of permeability and microstructure in sea ice, Geophys. Res. Lett., 34, L16501, doi:10.1029/2007GL030447.

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