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

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


Abstract

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.

Keywords: sea ice; permeability; microstructure.

Index Terms: 0456 Biogeosciences: Life in extreme environments; 0750 Cryosphere: Sea ice (4540); 1621 Global Change: Cryospheric change (0776); 4207 Oceanography: General: Arctic and Antarctic oceanography (9310, 9315).

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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.