A model for the consolidation of rafted sea ice
نویسندگان
چکیده
[1] Rafting is one of the important deformation mechanisms of sea ice. This process is widespread in the north Caspian Sea, where multiple rafting produces thick sea ice features, which are a hazard to offshore operations. Here we present a one‐dimensional, thermal consolidation model for rafted sea ice. We consider the consolidation between the layers of both a two‐layer and a three‐layer section of rafted sea ice. The rafted ice is assumed to be composed of layers of sea ice of equal thickness, separated by thin layers of ocean water. Results show that the thickness of the liquid layer reduced asymptotically with time, such that there always remained a thin saline liquid layer. We propose that when the liquid layer is equal to the surface roughness the adjacent layers can be considered consolidated. Using parameters representative of the north Caspian, the Arctic, and the Antarctic, our results show that for a choice of standard parameters it took under 15 h for two layers of rafted sea ice to consolidate. Sensitivity studies showed that the consolidation model is highly sensitive to the initial thickness of the liquid layer, the fraction of salt release during freezing, and the height of the surface asperities. We believe that further investigation of these parameters is needed before any concrete conclusions can be drawn about rate of consolidation of rafted sea ice features.
منابع مشابه
Ice-Rafted Detritus Events in the Arctic During the Last Glacial Interval, and the Timing of the Innuitian and Laurentide Ice Sheet Calving Events
Ice-rafted detritus (IRD) layers in the Arctic Ocean not only indicate the source of this detrital sediment, but give insights into the ice drift and ice sheet history. Detrital sand-sized Fe oxide mineral grains that are matched to precise sources using the microprobe chemical fingerprint of each grain, along with elevated coarse IRD abundance and radiocarbon ages, are used to define IRD peaks...
متن کاملRelationships Between Ice-Rafted Detritus, Geochemical Trends, and Biogenic Components of Early Pliocene Ocean Sediment in Weddell Sea, Antarctica
متن کامل
Millennial-Scale Interaction between Ice Sheets and Ocean Circulation during Marine Isotope Stage 100
Waxing/waning of the ice sheets and the associated change in thermohaline circulation have played an important role in global climate change since major continental ice sheets appeared in the northern hemisphere about 2.75 million years ago. In the earliest glacial stages, however, establishment of the linkage between ice sheet development and ocean circulation remains largely unclear. Here, we...
متن کاملInteraction of sea ice sediments and surface sea water in the Arctic Ocean: Evidence from excess 210Pb
[1] We measured the activities of 210 Pb, 226 Ra, 238 U and 137 Cs in a suite of ice-rafted sediments (IRS) from the Arctic Ocean in an attempt to assess the interaction of sea ice sediments and surface water. The concentrations of these nuclides were compared to those of the benthic sediments in the coastal and shelf regions of the Arctic Ocean, which are believed to be the major source region...
متن کاملHolocene cooling culminates in sea ice oscillations in Fram Strait
A reconstruction of Holocene sea ice conditions in the Fram Strait provides insight into the palaeoenvironmental and palaeoceanographic development of this climate sensitive area during the past 8500 years BP. Organic geochemical analyses of sediment cores from eastern and western Fram Strait enable the identification of variations in the ice coverage that can be linked to changes in the oceani...
متن کامل