Sample records for ice open water

  1. Sensitivity of open-water ice growth and ice concentration evolution in a coupled atmosphere-ocean-sea ice model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shi, Xiaoxu; Lohmann, Gerrit

    2017-09-01

    A coupled atmosphere-ocean-sea ice model is applied to investigate to what degree the area-thickness distribution of new ice formed in open water affects the ice and ocean properties. Two sensitivity experiments are performed which modify the horizontal-to-vertical aspect ratio of open-water ice growth. The resulting changes in the Arctic sea-ice concentration strongly affect the surface albedo, the ocean heat release to the atmosphere, and the sea-ice production. The changes are further amplified through a positive feedback mechanism among the Arctic sea ice, the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), and the surface air temperature in the Arctic, as the Fram Strait sea ice import influences the freshwater budget in the North Atlantic Ocean. Anomalies in sea-ice transport lead to changes in sea surface properties of the North Atlantic and the strength of AMOC. For the Southern Ocean, the most pronounced change is a warming along the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC), owing to the interhemispheric bipolar seasaw linked to AMOC weakening. Another insight of this study lies on the improvement of our climate model. The ocean component FESOM is a newly developed ocean-sea ice model with an unstructured mesh and multi-resolution. We find that the subpolar sea-ice boundary in the Northern Hemisphere can be improved by tuning the process of open-water ice growth, which strongly influences the sea ice concentration in the marginal ice zone, the North Atlantic circulation, salinity and Arctic sea ice volume. Since the distribution of new ice on open water relies on many uncertain parameters and the knowledge of the detailed processes is currently too crude, it is a challenge to implement the processes realistically into models. Based on our sensitivity experiments, we conclude a pronounced uncertainty related to open-water sea ice growth which could significantly affect the climate system sensitivity.

  2. Satellite altimetry in sea ice regions - detecting open water for estimating sea surface heights

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Müller, Felix L.; Dettmering, Denise; Bosch, Wolfgang

    2017-04-01

    The Greenland Sea and the Farm Strait are transporting sea ice from the central Arctic ocean southwards. They are covered by a dynamic changing sea ice layer with significant influences on the Earth climate system. Between the sea ice there exist various sized open water areas known as leads, straight lined open water areas, and polynyas exhibiting a circular shape. Identifying these leads by satellite altimetry enables the extraction of sea surface height information. Analyzing the radar echoes, also called waveforms, provides information on the surface backscatter characteristics. For example waveforms reflected by calm water have a very narrow and single-peaked shape. Waveforms reflected by sea ice show more variability due to diffuse scattering. Here we analyze altimeter waveforms from different conventional pulse-limited satellite altimeters to separate open water and sea ice waveforms. An unsupervised classification approach employing partitional clustering algorithms such as K-medoids and memory-based classification methods such as K-nearest neighbor is used. The classification is based on six parameters derived from the waveform's shape, for example the maximum power or the peak's width. The open-water detection is quantitatively compared to SAR images processed while accounting for sea ice motion. The classification results are used to derive information about the temporal evolution of sea ice extent and sea surface heights. They allow to provide evidence on climate change relevant influences as for example Arctic sea level rise due to enhanced melting rates of Greenland's glaciers and an increasing fresh water influx into the Arctic ocean. Additionally, the sea ice cover extent analyzed over a long-time period provides an important indicator for a globally changing climate system.

  3. Polarization of 'water-skies' above arctic open waters: how polynyas in the ice-cover can be visually detected from a distance.

    PubMed

    Hegedüs, Ramón; Akesson, Susanne; Horváth, Gábor

    2007-01-01

    The foggy sky above a white ice-cover and a dark water surface (permanent polynya or temporary lead) is white and dark gray, phenomena called the 'ice-sky' and the 'water-sky,' respectively. Captains of icebreaker ships used to search for not-directly-visible open waters remotely on the basis of the water sky. Animals depending on open waters in the Arctic region may also detect not-directly-visible waters from a distance by means of the water sky. Since the polarization of ice-skies and water-skies has not, to our knowledge, been studied before, we measured the polarization patterns of water-skies above polynyas in the arctic ice-cover during the Beringia 2005 Swedish polar research expedition to the North Pole region. We show that there are statistically significant differences in the angle of polarization between the water-sky and the ice-sky. This polarization phenomenon could help biological and man-made sensors to detect open waters not directly visible from a distance. However, the threshold of polarization-based detection would be rather low, because the degree of linear polarization of light radiated by water-skies and ice-skies is not higher than 10%.

  4. Bacterial activity in sea ice and open water of the Weddell Sea, Antarctica: A microautoradiographic study.

    PubMed

    Grossmann, S

    1994-07-01

    Metabolic activity of bacteria was investigated in open water, newly forming sea ice, and successive stages of pack ice in the Weddell Sea. Microautoradiography, using [(3)H]leucine as substrate, was compared with incorporation rates of [(3)H]leucine into proteins. Relation of [(3)H]leucine incorporation to the biomass of active bacteria provides information about changes of specific metabolic activity of cells. During a phytoplankton bloom in an ice-free, stratified water column, total numbers of bacteria in the euphotic zone averaged 2.3 × 10(5) ml(-1), but only about 13% showed activity via leucine uptake. Growth rate of the active bacteria was estimated as 0.3-0.4 days(-1). Total cell concentration of bacteria in 400 m depth was 6.6 × 10(4) ml(-1). Nearly 50% of these cells were active, although biomass production and specific growth rate were only about one-tenth that of the surface populations. When sea ice was forming in high concentrations of phytoplankton, bacterial biomass in the newly formed ice was 49.1 ng C ml(-1), exceeding that in open water by about one order of magnitude. Attachment of large bacteria to algal cells seems to cause their enrichment in the new ice, since specific bacterial activity was reduced during ice formation, and enrichment of bacteria was not observed when ice formed at low algal concentration. During growth of pack ice, biomass of bacteria increased within the brine channel system. Specific activity was still reduced at these later stages of ice development, and percentages of active cells were as low as 3-5%. In old, thick pack ice, bacterial activity was high and about 30% of cells were active. However, biomass-specific activity of bacteria remained significantly lower than that in open water. It is concluded that bacterial assemblages different to those of open water developed within the ice and were dominated by bacteria with lower average metabolic activity than those of ice-free water.

  5. Detection of Sea Ice and Open Water from RADARSAT-2 Images for Data Assimilation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Komarov, A.; Buehner, M.

    2016-12-01

    Automated detection of sea ice and open water from SAR data is very important for further assimilation into coupled ocean-sea ice-atmosphere numerical models, such as the Regional Ice-Ocean Prediction System being implemented at the Environment and Climate Change Canada. Conventional classification approaches based on various learning techniques are found to be limited by the fact that they typically do not indicate the level of confidence for ice and water retrievals. Meanwhile, only ice/water retrievals with a very high level of confidence are allowed to be assimilated into the sea ice model to avoid propagating and magnifying errors into the numerical prediction system. In this study we developed a new technique for ice and water detection from dual-polarization RADARSAT-2 HH-HV images which provides the probability of ice/water at a given location. We collected many hundreds of thousands of SAR signatures over various sea ice types (i.e. new, grey, first-year, and multi-year ice) and open water from all available RADARSAT-2 images and the corresponding Canadian Ice Service Image Analysis products over the period from November 2010 to May 2016. Our analysis of the dataset revealed that ice/water separation can be effectively performed in the space of SAR-based variables independent of the incidence angle and noise floor (such as texture measures) and auxiliary Global Environmental Multiscale Model parameters (such as surface wind speed). Choice of the parameters will be specifically discussed in the presentation. An ice probability empirical model as a function of the selected predictors was built in a form of logistic regression, based on the training dataset from 2012 to 2016. The developed ice probability model showed very good performance on the independent testing subset (year 2011). With the ice/water probability threshold of 0.95 reflecting a very high level of confidence, 79% of the testing ice and water samples were classified with the accuracy of 99

  6. Visible and thermal imaging of sea ice and open water from Coast Guard Arctic Domain Awareness flights

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chickadel, C. C.; Lindsay, R. W.; Clark, D.

    2014-12-01

    An uncooled thermal camera (microbolometer) and RGB camera were mounted in the tail section of a US Coast Guard HC-130 to observe sea ice, open water, and cloud tops through the open rear cargo doors during routine Arctic Domain Awareness (ADA) flights. Recent flights were conducted over the Beaufort Sea in June, July, and August of 2014, with flights planned for September and October. Thermal and visible images were collected at low altitude (100m) during times when the cargo doors were open and recorded high resolution information on ice floes, melt ponds, and surface temperature variability associated with the marginal ice zone (MIZ). These observations of sea ice conditions and surface water temperatures will be used to characterize floe size development and the temperature and albedo of ice ponds and leads. This information will allow for a detailed characterization of sea ice that can be used in process studies and for model evaluation, calibration of satellite remote sensing products, and initialization of sea ice prediction schemes.

  7. Responses of Baltic Sea Ice and Open-Water Natural Bacterial Communities to Salinity Change

    PubMed Central

    Kaartokallio, Hermanni; Laamanen, Maria; Sivonen, Kaarina

    2005-01-01

    To investigate the responses of Baltic Sea wintertime bacterial communities to changing salinity (5 to 26 practical salinity units), an experimental study was conducted. Bacterial communities of Baltic seawater and sea ice from a coastal site in southwest Finland were used in two batch culture experiments run for 17 or 18 days at 0°C. Bacterial abundance, cell volume, and leucine and thymidine incorporation were measured during the experiments. The bacterial community structure was assessed using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) of PCR-amplified partial 16S rRNA genes with sequencing of DGGE bands from initial communities and communities of day 10 or 13 of the experiment. The sea ice-derived bacterial community was metabolically more active than the open-water community at the start of the experiment. Ice-derived bacterial communities were able to adapt to salinity change with smaller effects on physiology and community structure, whereas in the open-water bacterial communities, the bacterial cell volume evolution, bacterial abundance, and community structure responses indicated the presence of salinity stress. The closest relatives for all eight partial 16S rRNA gene sequences obtained were either organisms found in polar sea ice and other cold habitats or those found in summertime Baltic seawater. All sequences except one were associated with the α- and γ-proteobacteria or the Cytophaga-Flavobacterium-Bacteroides group. The overall physiological and community structure responses were parallel in ice-derived and open-water bacterial assemblages, which points to a linkage between community structure and physiology. These results support previous assumptions of the role of salinity fluctuation as a major selective factor shaping the sea ice bacterial community structure. PMID:16085826

  8. Contrasting sea-ice and open-water boundary layers during melt and freeze-up seasons: Some result from the Arctic Clouds in Summer Experiment.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tjernström, Michael; Sotiropoulou, Georgia; Sedlar, Joseph; Achtert, Peggy; Brooks, Barbara; Brooks, Ian; Persson, Ola; Prytherch, John; Salsbury, Dominic; Shupe, Matthew; Johnston, Paul; Wolfe, Dan

    2016-04-01

    With more open water present in the Arctic summer, an understanding of atmospheric processes over open-water and sea-ice surfaces as summer turns into autumn and ice starts forming becomes increasingly important. The Arctic Clouds in Summer Experiment (ACSE) was conducted in a mix of open water and sea ice in the eastern Arctic along the Siberian shelf during late summer and early autumn 2014, providing detailed observations of the seasonal transition, from melt to freeze. Measurements were taken over both ice-free and ice-covered surfaces, offering an insight to the role of the surface state in shaping the lower troposphere and the boundary-layer conditions as summer turned into autumn. During summer, strong surface inversions persisted over sea ice, while well-mixed boundary layers capped by elevated inversions were frequent over open-water. The former were often associated with advection of warm air from adjacent open-water or land surfaces, whereas the latter were due to a positive buoyancy flux from the warm ocean surface. Fog and stratus clouds often persisted over the ice, whereas low-level liquid-water clouds developed over open water. These differences largely disappeared in autumn, when mixed-phase clouds capped by elevated inversions dominated in both ice-free and ice-covered conditions. Low-level-jets occurred ~20-25% of the time in both seasons. The observations indicate that these jets were typically initiated at air-mass boundaries or along the ice edge in autumn, while in summer they appeared to be inertial oscillations initiated by partial frictional decoupling as warm air was advected in over the sea ice. The start of the autumn season was related to an abrupt change in atmospheric conditions, rather than to the gradual change in solar radiation. The autumn onset appeared as a rapid cooling of the whole atmosphere and the freeze up followed as the warm surface lost heat to the atmosphere. While the surface type had a pronounced impact on boundary

  9. Mapping the future expansion of Arctic open water

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Barnhart, Katherine R.; Miller, Christopher R.; Overeem, Irina; Kay, Jennifer E.

    2016-03-01

    Sea ice impacts most of the Arctic environment, from ocean circulation and marine ecosystems to animal migration and marine transportation. Sea ice has thinned and decreased in age over the observational record. Ice extent has decreased. Reduced ice cover has warmed the surface ocean, accelerated coastal erosion and impacted biological productivity. Declines in Arctic sea-ice extent cannot be explained by internal climate variability alone and can be attributed to anthropogenic effects. However, extent is a poor measure of ice decline at specific locations as it integrates over the entire Arctic basin and thus contains no spatial information. The open water season, in contrast, is a metric that represents the duration of open water over a year at an individual location. Here we present maps of the open water season over the period 1920-2100 using daily output from a 30-member initial-condition ensemble of business-as-usual climate simulations that characterize the expansion of Arctic open water, determine when the open water season will move away from pre-industrial conditions (`shift’ time) and identify when human forcing will take the Arctic sea-ice system outside its normal bounds (`emergence’ time). The majority of the Arctic nearshore regions began shifting in 1990 and will begin leaving the range of internal variability in 2040. Models suggest that ice will cover coastal regions for only half of the year by 2070.

  10. Ice/water Classification of Sentinel-1 Images

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Korosov, Anton; Zakhvatkina, Natalia; Muckenhuber, Stefan

    2015-04-01

    Sea Ice monitoring and classification relies heavily on synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery. These sensors record data either only at horizontal polarization (RADARSAT-1) or vertically polarized (ERS-1 and ERS-2) or at dual polarization (Radarsat-2, Sentinel-1). Many algorithms have been developed to discriminate sea ice types and open water using single polarization images. Ice type classification, however, is still ambiguous in some cases. Sea ice classification in single polarization SAR images has been attempted using various methods since the beginning of the ERS programme. The robust classification using only SAR images that can provide useful results under varying sea ice types and open water tend to be not generally applicable in operational regime. The new generation SAR satellites have capability to deliver images in several polarizations. This gives improved possibility to develop sea ice classification algorithms. In this study we use data from Sentinel-1 at dual-polarization, i.e. HH (horizontally transmitted and horizontally received) and HV (horizontally transmitted, vertically received). This mode assembles wide SAR image from several narrower SAR beams, resulting to an image of 500 x 500 km with 50 m resolution. A non-linear scheme for classification of Sentinel-1 data has been developed. The processing allows to identify three classes: ice, calm water and rough water at 1 km spatial resolution. The raw sigma0 data in HH and HV polarization are first corrected for thermal and random noise by extracting the background thermal noise level and smoothing the image with several filters. At the next step texture characteristics are computed in a moving window using a Gray Level Co-occurence Matrix (GLCM). A neural network is applied at the last step for processing array of the most informative texture characteristics and ice/water classification. The main results are: * the most informative texture characteristics to be used for sea ice classification

  11. Dynamic Ice-Water Interactions Form Europa's Chaos Terrains

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Blankenship, D. D.; Schmidt, B. E.; Patterson, G. W.; Schenk, P.

    2011-12-01

    Unique to the surface of Europa, chaos terrain is diagnostic of the properties and dynamics of its icy shell. We present a new model that suggests large melt lenses form within the shell and that water-ice interactions above and within these lenses drive the production of chaos. This model is consistent with key observations of chaos, predicts observables for future missions, and indicates that the surface is likely still active today[1]. We apply lessons from ice-water interaction in the terrestrial cryosphere to hypothesize a dynamic lense-collapse model to for Europa's chaos terrain. Chaos terrain morphology, like that of Conamara chaos and Thera Macula, suggests a four-phase formation [1]: 1) Surface deflection occurs as ice melts over ascending thermal plumes, as regularly occurs on Earth as subglacial volcanoes activate. The same process can occur at Europa if thermal plumes cause pressure melt as they cross ice-impurity eutectics. 2) Resulting hydraulic gradients and driving forces produce a sealed, pressurized melt lense, akin to the hydraulic sealing of subglacial caldera lakes. On Europa, the water cannot escape the lense due to the horizontally continuous ice shell. 3) Extension of the brittle ice lid above the lense opens cracks, allowing for the ice to be hydrofractured by pressurized water. Fracture, brine injection and percolation within the ice and possible iceberg toppling produces ice-melange-like granular matrix material. 4) Refreezing of the melt lense and brine-filled pores and cracks within the matrix results in raised chaos. Brine soaking and injection concentrates the ice in brines and adds water volume to the shell. As this englacial water freezes, the now water-filled ice will expand, not unlike the process of forming pingos and other "expansion ice" phenomena on Earth. The refreezing can raise the surface and create the oft-observed matrix "domes" In this presentation, we describe how catastrophic ice-water interactions on Earth have

  12. Experimental provocation of 'ice-cream headache' by ice cubes and ice water.

    PubMed

    Mages, Stephan; Hensel, Ole; Zierz, Antonia Maria; Kraya, Torsten; Zierz, Stephan

    2017-04-01

    Background There are various studies on experimentally provoked 'ice-cream headache' or 'headache attributed to ingestion or inhalation of a cold stimulus' (HICS) using different provocation protocols. The aim of this study was to compare two provocation protocols. Methods Ice cubes pressed to the palate and fast ingestion of ice water were used to provoke HICS and clinical features were compared. Results The ice-water stimulus provoked HICS significantly more often than the ice-cube stimulus (9/77 vs. 39/77). Ice-water-provoked HICS had a significantly shorter latency (median 15 s, range 4-97 s vs. median 68 s, range 27-96 s). There was no difference in pain localisation. Character after ice-cube stimulation was predominantly described as pressing and after ice-water stimulation as stabbing. A second HICS followed in 10/39 (26%) of the headaches provoked by ice water. Lacrimation occurred significantly more often in volunteers with than in those without HICS. Discussion HICS provoked by ice water was more frequent, had a shorter latency, different pain character and higher pain intensity than HICS provoked by ice cubes. The finding of two subsequent HICS attacks in the same volunteers supports the notion that two types of HICS exist. Lacrimation during HICS indicates involvement of the trigeminal-autonomic reflex.

  13. Vapor deposition of water on graphitic surfaces: formation of amorphous ice, bilayer ice, ice I, and liquid water.

    PubMed

    Lupi, Laura; Kastelowitz, Noah; Molinero, Valeria

    2014-11-14

    Carbonaceous surfaces are a major source of atmospheric particles and could play an important role in the formation of ice. Here we investigate through molecular simulations the stability, metastability, and molecular pathways of deposition of amorphous ice, bilayer ice, and ice I from water vapor on graphitic and atomless Lennard-Jones surfaces as a function of temperature. We find that bilayer ice is the most stable ice polymorph for small cluster sizes, nevertheless it can grow metastable well above its region of thermodynamic stability. In agreement with experiments, the simulations predict that on increasing temperature the outcome of water deposition is amorphous ice, bilayer ice, ice I, and liquid water. The deposition nucleation of bilayer ice and ice I is preceded by the formation of small liquid clusters, which have two wetting states: bilayer pancake-like (wetting) at small cluster size and droplet-like (non-wetting) at larger cluster size. The wetting state of liquid clusters determines which ice polymorph is nucleated: bilayer ice nucleates from wetting bilayer liquid clusters and ice I from non-wetting liquid clusters. The maximum temperature for nucleation of bilayer ice on flat surfaces, T(B)(max) is given by the maximum temperature for which liquid water clusters reach the equilibrium melting line of bilayer ice as wetting bilayer clusters. Increasing water-surface attraction stabilizes the pancake-like wetting state of liquid clusters leading to larger T(B)(max) for the flat non-hydrogen bonding surfaces of this study. The findings of this study should be of relevance for the understanding of ice formation by deposition mode on carbonaceous atmospheric particles, including soot.

  14. The impact of radiatively active water-ice clouds on Martian mesoscale atmospheric circulations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Spiga, A.; Madeleine, J.-B.; Hinson, D.; Navarro, T.; Forget, F.

    2014-04-01

    Background and Goals Water ice clouds are a key component of the Martian climate [1]. Understanding the properties of the Martian water ice clouds is crucial to constrain the Red Planet's climate and hydrological cycle both in the present and in the past [2]. In recent years, this statement have become all the more true as it was shown that the radiative effects of water ice clouds is far from being as negligible as hitherto believed; water ice clouds plays instead a key role in the large-scale thermal structure and dynamics of the Martian atmosphere [3, 4, 5]. Nevertheless, the radiative effect of water ice clouds at lower scales than the large synoptic scale (the so-called meso-scales) is still left to be explored. Here we use for the first time mesoscale modeling with radiatively active water ice clouds to address this open question.

  15. Large Scale Ice Water Path and 3-D Ice Water Content

    DOE Data Explorer

    Liu, Guosheng

    2008-01-15

    Cloud ice water concentration is one of the most important, yet poorly observed, cloud properties. Developing physical parameterizations used in general circulation models through single-column modeling is one of the key foci of the ARM program. In addition to the vertical profiles of temperature, water vapor and condensed water at the model grids, large-scale horizontal advective tendencies of these variables are also required as forcing terms in the single-column models. Observed horizontal advection of condensed water has not been available because the radar/lidar/radiometer observations at the ARM site are single-point measurement, therefore, do not provide horizontal distribution of condensed water. The intention of this product is to provide large-scale distribution of cloud ice water by merging available surface and satellite measurements. The satellite cloud ice water algorithm uses ARM ground-based measurements as baseline, produces datasets for 3-D cloud ice water distributions in a 10 deg x 10 deg area near ARM site. The approach of the study is to expand a (surface) point measurement to an (satellite) areal measurement. That is, this study takes the advantage of the high quality cloud measurements at the point of ARM site. We use the cloud characteristics derived from the point measurement to guide/constrain satellite retrieval, then use the satellite algorithm to derive the cloud ice water distributions within an area, i.e., 10 deg x 10 deg centered at ARM site.

  16. Heterogeneous Ice Nucleation: Interplay of Surface Properties and Their Impact on Water Orientations.

    PubMed

    Glatz, Brittany; Sarupria, Sapna

    2018-01-23

    Ice is ubiquitous in nature, and heterogeneous ice nucleation is the most common pathway of ice formation. How surface properties affect the propensity to observe ice nucleation on that surface remains an open question. We present results of molecular dynamics studies of heterogeneous ice nucleation on model surfaces. The models surfaces considered emulate the chemistry of kaolinite, an abundant component of mineral dust. We investigate the interplay of surface lattice and hydrogen bonding properties in affecting ice nucleation. We find that lattice matching and hydrogen bonding are necessary but not sufficient conditions for observing ice nucleation at these surfaces. We correlate this behavior to the orientations sampled by the metastable supercooled water in contact with the surfaces. We find that ice is observed in cases where water molecules not only sample orientations favorable for bilayer formation but also do not sample unfavorable orientations. This distribution depends on both surface-water and water-water interactions and can change with subtle modifications to the surface properties. Our results provide insights into the diverse behavior of ice nucleation observed at different surfaces and highlight the complexity in elucidating heterogeneous ice nucleation.

  17. Pyroelectricity of water ice.

    PubMed

    Wang, Hanfu; Bell, Richard C; Iedema, Martin J; Schenter, Gregory K; Wu, Kai; Cowin, James P

    2008-05-22

    Water ice usually is thought to have zero pyroelectricity by symmetry. However, biasing it with ions breaks the symmetry because of the induced partial dipole alignment. This unmasks a large pyroelectricity. Ions were soft-landed upon 1 mum films of water ice at temperatures greater than 160 K. When cooled below 140-150 K, the dipole alignment locks in. Work function measurements of these films then show high and reversible pyroelectric activity from 30 to 150 K. For an initial approximately 10 V induced by the deposited ions at 160 K, the observed bias below 150 K varies approximately as 10 Vx(T/150 K)2. This implies that water has pyroelectric coefficients as large as that of many commercial pyroelectrics, such as lead zirconate titanate (PZT). The pyroelectricity of water ice, not previously reported, is in reasonable agreement with that predicted using harmonic analysis of a model system of SPC ice. The pyroelectricity is observed in crystalline and compact amorphous ice, deuterated or not. This implies that for water ice between 0 and 150 K (such as astrophysical ices), temperature changes can induce strong electric fields (approximately 10 MV/m) that can influence their chemistry, ion trajectories, or binding.

  18. Open-source algorithm for detecting sea ice surface features in high-resolution optical imagery

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wright, Nicholas C.; Polashenski, Chris M.

    2018-04-01

    Snow, ice, and melt ponds cover the surface of the Arctic Ocean in fractions that change throughout the seasons. These surfaces control albedo and exert tremendous influence over the energy balance in the Arctic. Increasingly available meter- to decimeter-scale resolution optical imagery captures the evolution of the ice and ocean surface state visually, but methods for quantifying coverage of key surface types from raw imagery are not yet well established. Here we present an open-source system designed to provide a standardized, automated, and reproducible technique for processing optical imagery of sea ice. The method classifies surface coverage into three main categories: snow and bare ice, melt ponds and submerged ice, and open water. The method is demonstrated on imagery from four sensor platforms and on imagery spanning from spring thaw to fall freeze-up. Tests show the classification accuracy of this method typically exceeds 96 %. To facilitate scientific use, we evaluate the minimum observation area required for reporting a representative sample of surface coverage. We provide an open-source distribution of this algorithm and associated training datasets and suggest the community consider this a step towards standardizing optical sea ice imagery processing. We hope to encourage future collaborative efforts to improve the code base and to analyze large datasets of optical sea ice imagery.

  19. Parameterization and scaling of arctic ice conditions in the context of ice-atmospheric processes

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Barry, R. G.; Steffen, K.; Heinrichs, J. F.; Key, J. R.; Maslanik, J. A.; Serreze, M. C.; Weaver, R. L.

    1995-01-01

    The goals of this project are to observe how the open water/thin ice fraction in a high-concentration ice pack responds to different short-period atmospheric forcings, and how this response is represented in different scales of observation. The objectives can be summarized as follows: determine the feasibility and accuracy of ice concentration and ice typing by ERS-1 SAR backscatter data, and whether SAR data might be used to calibrate concentration estimates from optical and massive-microwave sensors; investigate methods to integrate SAR data with other satellite data for turbulent heat flux parameterization at the ocean/atmosphere interface; determine how the development and evolution of open water/thin ice areas within the interior ice pack vary under different atmospheric synoptic regimes; compare how open-water/thin ice fractions estimated from large-area divergence measurements differ from fractions determined by summing localized openings in the pack; relate these questions of scale and process to methods of observation, modeling, and averaging over time and space.

  20. Water Ice on Pluto

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2015-10-16

    The Ralph instrument on NASA's New Horizons spacecraft detected water ice on Pluto's surface, picking up on the ice's near-infrared spectral characteristics. (See featured image from Oct. 8, 2015.) The middle panel shows a region west of Pluto's "heart" feature -- which the mission team calls Tombaugh Regio -- about 280 miles (450 kilometers) across. It combines visible imagery from Ralph's Multispectral Visible Imaging Camera (MVIC) with infrared spectroscopy from the Linear Etalon Imaging Spectral Array (LEISA). Areas with the strongest water ice spectral signature are highlighted in blue. Major outcrops of water ice occur in regions informally called Viking Terra, along Virgil Fossa west of Elliot crater, and in Baré Montes. Numerous smaller outcrops are associated with impact craters and valleys between mountains. In the lower left panel, LEISA spectra are shown for two regions indicated by cyan and magenta boxes. The white curve is a water ice model spectrum, showing similar features to the cyan spectrum. The magenta spectrum is dominated by methane ice absorptions. The lower right panel shows an MVIC enhanced color view of the region in the white box, with MVIC's blue, red and near-infrared filters displayed in blue, green and red channels, respectively. The regions showing the strongest water ice signature are associated with terrains that are actually a lighter shade of red. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA20030

  1. Turbulent heat exchange between water and ice at an evolving ice-water interface

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ramudu, E.; Hirsh, B.; Olson, P.; Gnanadesikan, A.

    2016-02-01

    Experimental results are presented on the time evolution of ice subject to a turbulent shear flow in a layer of water of uniform depth. Our study is motivated by observations in the ocean cavity beneath Antarctic ice shelves, where shoaling of Circumpolar Deep Water into the cavity has been implicated in the accelerated melting of the ice shelf base. Measurements of inflow and outflow at the ice shelf front have shown that not all of the heat entering the cavity is delivered to the ice shelf, suggesting that turbulent transfer to the ice represents an important bottleneck. Given that a range of turbulent transfer coefficients has been used in models it is important to better constrain this parameter. We measure as a function of time in our experiments the thickness of the ice, temperatures in the ice and water, and fluid velocity in the shear flow, starting from an initial condition in which the water is at rest and the ice has grown by conduction above a cold plate. The strength of the applied turbulent shear flow is represented in terms of a Reynolds number Re, which is varied over the range 3.5 × 103 ≤ Re ≤ 1.9 × 104. Transient partial melting of the ice occurs at the lower end of this range of Re and complete transient melting of the ice occurs at the higher end of the range. Following these melting transients, the ice reforms at a rate that is independent of Re. We fit to our experimental measurements of ice thickness and temperature a one-dimensional model for the evolution of the ice thickness in which the turbulent heat transfer is parameterized in terms of the friction velocity of the shear flow. Comparison with the Pine Island Glacier Ice Shelf yields qualitative agreement between the transient ice melting rates predicted by our model and the shelf melting rate inferred from the field observations.

  2. Circulation and water properties in the landfast ice zone of the Alaskan Beaufort Sea

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Weingartner, Thomas J.; Danielson, Seth L.; Potter, Rachel A.; Trefry, John H.; Mahoney, Andy; Savoie, Mark; Irvine, Cayman; Sousa, Leandra

    2017-09-01

    Moorings, hydrography, satellite-tracked drifters, and high-frequency radar data describe the annual cycle in circulation and water properties in the landfast ice zone (LIZ) of the Alaskan Beaufort Sea. Three seasons, whose duration and characteristics are controlled by landfast ice formation and ablation, define the LIZ: ;winter;, ;break-up;, and ;open-water;. Winter begins in October with ice formation and ends in June when rivers commence discharging. Winter LIZ ice velocities are zero, under-ice currents are weak ( 5 cm s-1), and poorly correlated with winds and local sea level. The along-shore momentum balance is between along-shore pressure gradients and bottom and ice-ocean friction. Currents at the landfast ice-edge are swift ( 35 cm s-1), wind-driven, with large horizontal shears, and potentially unstable. Weak cross-shore velocities ( 1 cm s-1) imply limited exchanges between the LIZ and the outer shelf in winter. The month-long break-up season (June) begins with the spring freshet and concludes when landfast ice detaches from the bottom. Cross-shore currents increase, and the LIZ hosts shallow ( 2 m), strongly-stratified, buoyant and sediment-laden, under-ice river plumes that overlie a sharp, 1 m thick, pycnocline across which salinity increases by 30. The plume salt balance is between entrainment and cross-shore advection. Break-up is followed by the 3-month long open-water season when currents are swift (≥20 cm s-1) and predominantly wind-driven. Winter water properties are initialized by fall advection and evolve slowly due to salt rejection from ice. Fall waters and ice within the LIZ derive from local rivers, the Mackenzie and/or Chukchi shelves, and the Arctic basin.

  3. Method to estimate drag coefficient at the air/ice interface over drifting open pack ice from remotely sensed data

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Feldman, U.

    1984-01-01

    A knowledge in near real time, of the surface drag coefficient for drifting pack ice is vital for predicting its motions. And since this is not routinely available from measurements it must be replaced by estimates. Hence, a method for estimating this variable, as well as the drag coefficient at the water/ice interface and the ice thickness, for drifting open pack ice was developed. These estimates were derived from three-day sequences of LANDSAT-1 MSS images and surface weather charts and from the observed minima and maxima of these variables. The method was tested with four data sets in the southeastern Beaufort sea. Acceptable results were obtained for three data sets. Routine application of the method depends on the availability of data from an all-weather air or spaceborne remote sensing system, producing images with high geometric fidelity and high resolution.

  4. Sea Ice Characteristics and the Open-Linked Data World

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Khalsa, S. J. S.; McGuinness, D. L.; Duerr, R.; Pulsifer, P. L.; Fox, P. A.; Thompson, C.; Yan, R.

    2014-12-01

    The audience for sea ice data sets has broadened dramatically over the past several decades. Initially the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) sea ice products were used primarily by sea ice specialists. However, now they are in demand by researchers in many different domains and some are used by the public. This growth in the number and type of users has presented challenges to content providers aimed particularly at supporting interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary data use. In our experience, it is generally insufficient to simply make the data available as originally formatted. New audiences typically need data in different forms; forms that meet their needs, that work with their specific tools. Moreover, simple data reformatting is rarely enough. The data needs to be aggregated, transformed or otherwise converted into forms that better serve the needs of the new audience. The Semantic Sea Ice Interoperability Initiative (SSIII) is an NSF-funded research project aimed at making sea ice data more useful to more people using semantic technologies. The team includes domain and science data experts as well as knowledge representation and linked data experts. Beginning with a series of workshops involving members of the operations, sea ice research and modeling communities, as well as members of local communities in Alaska, a suite of ontologies describing the physical characteristics of sea ice have been developed and used to provide one of NSIDC's data sets, the operational Arctic sea ice charts obtained from the Canadian Ice Center, as open-linked data. These data extend nearly a decade into the past and can now be queried either directly through a publicly available SPARQL end point (for those who are familiar with open-linked data) or through a simple Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) standards map-based query tool. Questions like "What were the characteristics (i.e., sea ice concentration, form and stage of development) of the sea ice in the region

  5. Turbulent heat exchange between water and ice at an evolving ice-water interface

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ramudu, Eshwan; Hirsh, Benjamin Henry; Olson, Peter; Gnanadesikan, Anand

    2016-07-01

    We conduct laboratory experiments on the time evolution of an ice layer cooled from below and subjected to a turbulent shear flow of warm water from above. Our study is motivated by observations of warm water intrusion into the ocean cavity under Antarctic ice shelves, accelerating the melting of their basal surfaces. The strength of the applied turbulent shear flow in our experiments is represented in terms of its Reynolds number $\\textit{Re}$, which is varied over the range $2.0\\times10^3 \\le \\textit{Re} \\le 1.0\\times10^4$. Depending on the water temperature, partial transient melting of the ice occurs at the lower end of this range of $\\textit{Re}$ and complete transient melting of the ice occurs at the higher end. Following these episodes of transient melting, the ice reforms at a rate that is independent of $\\textit{Re}$. We fit our experimental measurements of ice thickness and temperature to a one-dimensional model for the evolution of the ice thickness in which the turbulent heat transfer is parameterized in terms of the friction velocity of the shear flow. The melting mechanism we investigate in our experiments can easily account for the basal melting rate of Pine Island Glacier ice shelf inferred from observations.

  6. Operational algorithm for ice-water classification on dual-polarized RADARSAT-2 images

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zakhvatkina, Natalia; Korosov, Anton; Muckenhuber, Stefan; Sandven, Stein; Babiker, Mohamed

    2017-01-01

    Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data from RADARSAT-2 (RS2) in dual-polarization mode provide additional information for discriminating sea ice and open water compared to single-polarization data. We have developed an automatic algorithm based on dual-polarized RS2 SAR images to distinguish open water (rough and calm) and sea ice. Several technical issues inherent in RS2 data were solved in the pre-processing stage, including thermal noise reduction in HV polarization and correction of angular backscatter dependency in HH polarization. Texture features were explored and used in addition to supervised image classification based on the support vector machines (SVM) approach. The study was conducted in the ice-covered area between Greenland and Franz Josef Land. The algorithm has been trained using 24 RS2 scenes acquired in winter months in 2011 and 2012, and the results were validated against manually derived ice charts of the Norwegian Meteorological Institute. The algorithm was applied on a total of 2705 RS2 scenes obtained from 2013 to 2015, and the validation results showed that the average classification accuracy was 91 ± 4 %.

  7. Ice swimming - 'Ice Mile' and '1 km Ice event'.

    PubMed

    Knechtle, Beat; Rosemann, Thomas; Rüst, Christoph A

    2015-01-01

    Ice swimming for 1 mile and 1 km is a new discipline in open-water swimming since 2009. This study examined female and male performances in swimming 1 mile ('Ice Mile') and 1 km ('1 km Ice event') in water of 5 °C or colder between 2009 and 2015 with the hypothesis that women would be faster than men. Between 2009 and 2015, 113 men and 38 women completed one 'Ice Mile' and 26 men and 13 completed one '1 km Ice event' in water colder than +5 °C following the rules of International Ice Swimming Association (IISA). Differences in performance between women and men were determined. Sex difference (%) was calculated using the equation ([time for women] - [time for men]/[time for men] × 100). For 'Ice Mile', a mixed-effects regression model with interaction analyses was used to investigate the influence of sex and environmental conditions on swimming speed. The association between water temperature and swimming speed was assessed using Pearson correlation analyses. For 'Ice Mile' and '1 km Ice event', the best men were faster than the best women. In 'Ice Mile', calendar year, number of attempts, water temperature and wind chill showed no association with swimming speed for both women and men. For both women and men, water temperature was not correlated to swimming speed in both 'Ice Mile' and '1 km Ice event'. In water colder than 5 °C, men were faster than women in 'Ice Mile' and '1 km Ice event'. Water temperature showed no correlation to swimming speed.

  8. OpenICE medical device interoperability platform overview and requirement analysis.

    PubMed

    Arney, David; Plourde, Jeffrey; Goldman, Julian M

    2018-02-23

    We give an overview of OpenICE, an open source implementation of the ASTM standard F2761 for the Integrated Clinical Environment (ICE) that leverages medical device interoperability, together with an analysis of the clinical and non-functional requirements and community process that inspired its design.

  9. Water ice is water ice: some applications and limitations of Earth analogues to Mars

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Koutnik, M.; Pathare, A.; Waddington, E. D.; Winebrenner, D. P.

    2017-12-01

    Quantitative and qualitative analyses of ice on Mars have advanced with the acquisition of abundant topography, imagery, and radar data, which have enabled the planetary-science community to tackle sophisticated questions about the martian cryosphere. Over the past decades, many studies have applied knowledge of terrestrial ice-sheet and glacier flow to improve understanding of ice behavior on Mars. A key question for both planets is how we can robustly interpret past climate from glaciological and glacial geomorphological features. Doing this requires deciphering how the history of accumulation, ablation, dust/debris deposition, and flow led to the shape and internal structure of present-day ice. Terrestrial glaciology and glacial geomorphology provide physical relationships that can be extended across environmental conditions to characterize related processes that may act at different rates or on different timescales. However, there remain fundamental unknowns about martian ice rheology and history that often limit our ability to directly apply understanding of ice dynamics learned from Antarctica, Greenland, terrestrial glaciers, and laboratory ice experiments. But the field is rich with opportunity because the constitutive relationship for water ice depends on quantities that can typically be reasonably estimated; water ice is water ice. We reflect on progress to understand the history of the ice-rich North Polar Layered Deposits (NPLD) and of select mid-latitude Lobate Debris Aprons (LDAs), and the utility of terrestrial ice-sheet and glacier analogues for these problems. Our work on Earth and Mars has focused on constraining surface accumulation/ablation patterns and ice-flow histories from topography and radar observations. We present on the challenge of interpreting internal-layer shapes when both accumulation/ablation and ice-flow histories are unknown, and how this non-uniqueness can be broken only by making assumptions about one or the other. In

  10. Interaction of ice binding proteins with ice, water and ions.

    PubMed

    Oude Vrielink, Anneloes S; Aloi, Antonio; Olijve, Luuk L C; Voets, Ilja K

    2016-03-19

    Ice binding proteins (IBPs) are produced by various cold-adapted organisms to protect their body tissues against freeze damage. First discovered in Antarctic fish living in shallow waters, IBPs were later found in insects, microorganisms, and plants. Despite great structural diversity, all IBPs adhere to growing ice crystals, which is essential for their extensive repertoire of biological functions. Some IBPs maintain liquid inclusions within ice or inhibit recrystallization of ice, while other types suppress freezing by blocking further ice growth. In contrast, ice nucleating proteins stimulate ice nucleation just below 0 °C. Despite huge commercial interest and major scientific breakthroughs, the precise working mechanism of IBPs has not yet been unraveled. In this review, the authors outline the state-of-the-art in experimental and theoretical IBP research and discuss future scientific challenges. The interaction of IBPs with ice, water and ions is examined, focusing in particular on ice growth inhibition mechanisms.

  11. 21 CFR 135.160 - Water ices.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 2 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Water ices. 135.160 Section 135.160 Food and Drugs... CONSUMPTION FROZEN DESSERTS Requirements for Specific Standardized Frozen Desserts § 135.160 Water ices. (a) Description. Water ices are the foods each of which is prepared from the same ingredients and in the same...

  12. 21 CFR 135.160 - Water ices.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Water ices. 135.160 Section 135.160 Food and Drugs... CONSUMPTION FROZEN DESSERTS Requirements for Specific Standardized Frozen Desserts § 135.160 Water ices. (a) Description. Water ices are the foods each of which is prepared from the same ingredients and in the same...

  13. 21 CFR 135.160 - Water ices.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 2 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Water ices. 135.160 Section 135.160 Food and Drugs... CONSUMPTION FROZEN DESSERTS Requirements for Specific Standardized Frozen Desserts § 135.160 Water ices. (a) Description. Water ices are the foods each of which is prepared from the same ingredients and in the same...

  14. 21 CFR 135.160 - Water ices.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 2 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Water ices. 135.160 Section 135.160 Food and Drugs... CONSUMPTION FROZEN DESSERTS Requirements for Specific Standardized Frozen Desserts § 135.160 Water ices. (a) Description. Water ices are the foods each of which is prepared from the same ingredients and in the same...

  15. 21 CFR 135.160 - Water ices.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 2 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Water ices. 135.160 Section 135.160 Food and Drugs... CONSUMPTION FROZEN DESSERTS Requirements for Specific Standardized Frozen Desserts § 135.160 Water ices. (a) Description. Water ices are the foods each of which is prepared from the same ingredients and in the same...

  16. Seasonal-to-Interannual Variability in Antarctic Sea-Ice Dynamics, and Its Impact on Surface Fluxes and Water Mass Production

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Drinkwater, Mark R.

    1999-01-01

    Strong seasonal and interannual signals in Antarctic bottom-water outflow remain unexplained yet are highly correlated with anomalies in net sea-ice growth in coastal polynyas. The mechanisms responsible for driving salination and replenishment and rejuvenation of the dense shelf "source" waters likely also generate pulses of bottom water outflow. The objective of this research is to investigate time-scales of variability in the dynamics of sea-ice in the Southern Ocean in order to determine the primary sites for production of dense shelf waters. We are using a merged satellite/buoy sea-ice motion data set for the period 1978-present day to compute the dynamics of opening and closing of coastal polynyas over the continental shelf. The Ocean Circulation and Climate Advanced Model (OCCAM) ocean general circulation model with coupled sea-ice dynamics is presently forced using National Center for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) data to simulate fluxes and the salination impact of the ocean shelf regions. This work is relevant in the context of measuring the influence of polar sea-ice dynamics upon polar ocean characteristics, and thereby upon global thermohaline ocean circulation. Interannual variability in simulated net freezing rate in the Southern Weddell Sea is shown for the period 1986-1993. There is a pronounced maximum of ice production in 1988 and minimum in 1991 in response to anomalies in equatorward meridional wind velocity. This follows a similar approximate 8-year interannual cycle in Sea Surface Temperature (SST) and satellite-derived ice-edge anomalies reported elsewhere as the "Antarctic Circumpolar Wave." The amplitude of interannual fluctuations in annual net ice production are about 40% of the mean value, implying significant interannual variance in brine rejection and upper ocean heat loss. Southward anomalies in wind stress induce negative anomalies in open water production, which are observed in passive microwave satellite images. Thus, cycles of

  17. Cumulative and Synergistic Effects of Physical, Biological, and Acoustic Signals on Marine Mammal Habitat Use Physical Oceanography Component: Soundscapes Under Sea Ice: Can We Listen for Open Water?

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2013-09-30

    Physical, Biological, and Acoustic Signals on Marine Mammal Habitat Use Physical Oceanography Component: Soundscapes Under Sea Ice: Can we listen for... Soundscapes Under Sea Ice: Can we listen for open water? 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S) 5d...the source. These different sounds can be described as “ soundscapes ”, and graphically represented by comparing two or more features of the sound

  18. Determination of Ice Water Path in Ice-over-Water Cloud Systems Using Combined MODIS and AMSR-E Measurements

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Huang, Jianping; Minnis, Patrick; Lin, Bing; Yi, Yuhong; Fan, T.-F.; Sun-Mack, Sunny; Ayers, J. K.

    2006-01-01

    To provide more accurate ice cloud properties for evaluating climate models, the updated version of multi-layered cloud retrieval system (MCRS) is used to retrieve ice water path (IWP) in ice-over-water cloud systems over global ocean using combined instrument data from the Aqua satellite. The liquid water path (LWP) of lower layer water clouds is estimated from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for EOS (AMSR-E) measurements. With the lower layer LWP known, the properties of the upper-level ice clouds are then derived from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer measurements by matching simulated radiances from a two-cloud layer radiative transfer model. Comparisons with single-layer cirrus systems and surface-based radar retrievals show that the MCRS can significantly improve the accuracy and reduce the over-estimation of optical depth and ice water path retrievals for ice over-water cloud systems. During the period from December 2004 through February 2005, the mean daytime ice cloud optical depth and IWP for overlapped ice-over-water clouds over ocean from Aqua are 7.6 and 146.4 gm(sup -2), respectively, significantly less than the initial single layer retrievals of 17.3 and 322.3 gm(sup -2). The mean IWP for actual single-layer clouds was 128.2 gm(sup -2).

  19. Export of Ice-Cavity Water from Pine Island Ice Shelf, West Antarctica

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Thurnherr, Andreas; Jacobs, Stanley; Dutrieux, Pierre

    2013-04-01

    Stability of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet is sensitive to changes in melting at the bottom of floating ice shelves that form the seaward extensions of Antarctic glaciers flowing into the ocean. Not least because observations in the cavities beneath ice shelves are difficult, heat fluxes and melt rates have been inferred from oceanographic measurements obtained near the ice edge (calving fronts). Here, we report on a set of hydrographic and velocity data collected in early 2009 near the calving front of the Amundsen Sea's fast-moving and (until recently) accelerating Pine Island Glacier and its associated ice shelf. CTD profiles collected along the southern half of the meridionally-trending ice front show clear evidence for export of ice-cavity water. That water was carried in the upper ocean along the ice front by a southward current that is possibly related to a striking clockwise gyre that dominated the (summertime) upper-ocean circulation in Pine Island Bay. Signatures of ice-cavity water appear unrelated to current direction along most of the ice front, suggesting that cross-frontal exchange is dominated by temporal variability. However, repeated hydrographic and velocity measurements in a small "ice cove" at the southern end of the calving front show a persistent strong (mean velocity peaking near 0.5 ms-1) outflow of ice-cavity water in the upper 500 m. While surface features (boils) suggested upwelling from deep below the ice shelf, vertical velocity measurements reveal 1) that the mean upwelling within the confines of the cove was too weak to feed the observed outflow, and 2) that large high-frequency internal waves dominated the vertical motion of water inside the cove. These observations indicate that water exchange between the Pine Island Ice Shelf cavity and the Amundsen sea is strongly asymmetric with weak broad inflow at depth and concentrated surface-intensified outflow of melt-laden deep water at the southern edge of the calving front. The lack of

  20. Determination of ice water path in ice-over-water cloud systems using combined MODIS and AMSR-E measurements

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Huang, Jianping; Minnis, Patrick; Lin, Bing; Yi, Yuhong; Fan, T.-F.; Sun-Mack, Sunny; Ayers, J. K.

    2006-11-01

    To provide more accurate ice cloud microphysical properties, the multi-layered cloud retrieval system (MCRS) is used to retrieve ice water path (IWP) in ice-over-water cloud systems globally over oceans using combined instrument data from Aqua. The liquid water path (LWP) of lower-layer water clouds is estimated from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for EOS (AMSR-E) measurements. The properties of the upper-level ice clouds are then derived from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) measurements by matching simulated radiances from a two-cloud-layer radiative transfer model. The results show that the MCRS can significantly improve the accuracy and reduce the over-estimation of optical depth and IWP retrievals for ice-over-water cloud systems. The mean daytime ice cloud optical depth and IWP for overlapped ice-over-water clouds over oceans from Aqua are 7.6 and 146.4 gm-2, respectively, down from the initial single-layer retrievals of 17.3 and 322.3 gm-2. The mean IWP for actual single-layer clouds is 128.2 gm-2.

  1. The effect of ice-cream-scoop water on the hygiene of ice cream.

    PubMed Central

    Wilson, I. G.; Heaney, J. C.; Weatherup, S. T.

    1997-01-01

    A survey of unopened ice cream, ice cream in use, and ice-cream-scoop water (n = 91) was conducted to determine the effect of scoop water hygiene on the microbiological quality of ice cream. An aerobic plate count around 10(6) c.f.u. ml-1 was the modal value for scoop waters. Unopened ice creams generally had counts around 10(3)-10(4) c.f.u. ml-1 and this increased by one order of magnitude when in use. Many scoop waters had low coliform counts, but almost half contained > 100 c.f.u. ml-1. E. coli was isolated in 18% of ice creams in use, and in 10% of unopened ice creams. S. aureus was not detected in any sample. Statistical analysis showed strong associations between indicator organisms and increased counts in ice cream in use. EC guidelines for indicator organisms in ice cream were exceeded by up to 56% of samples. PMID:9287941

  2. The effect of ice-cream-scoop water on the hygiene of ice cream.

    PubMed

    Wilson, I G; Heaney, J C; Weatherup, S T

    1997-08-01

    A survey of unopened ice cream, ice cream in use, and ice-cream-scoop water (n = 91) was conducted to determine the effect of scoop water hygiene on the microbiological quality of ice cream. An aerobic plate count around 10(6) c.f.u. ml-1 was the modal value for scoop waters. Unopened ice creams generally had counts around 10(3)-10(4) c.f.u. ml-1 and this increased by one order of magnitude when in use. Many scoop waters had low coliform counts, but almost half contained > 100 c.f.u. ml-1. E. coli was isolated in 18% of ice creams in use, and in 10% of unopened ice creams. S. aureus was not detected in any sample. Statistical analysis showed strong associations between indicator organisms and increased counts in ice cream in use. EC guidelines for indicator organisms in ice cream were exceeded by up to 56% of samples.

  3. Blue Beaufort Sea Ice from Operation IceBridge

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2017-12-08

    Mosaic image of sea ice in the Beaufort Sea created by the Digital Mapping System (DMS) instrument aboard the IceBridge P-3B. The dark area in the middle of the image is open water seen through a lead, or opening, in the ice. Light blue areas are thick sea ice and dark blue areas are thinner ice formed as water in the lead refreezes. Leads are formed when cracks develop in sea ice as it moves in response to wind and ocean currents. DMS uses a modified digital SLR camera that points down through a window in the underside of the plane, capturing roughly one frame per second. These images are then combined into an image mosaic using specialized computer software. Credit: NASA/DMS NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

  4. Airborne discrimination between ice and water - Application to the laser measurement of chlorophyll-in-water in a marginal ice zone

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hoge, Frank E.; Wright, C. Wayne; Swift, Robert N.; Yungel, James K.

    1989-01-01

    The concurrent active-passive measurement capabilities of the NASA Airborne Oceanographic Lidar have been used to (1) discriminate between ice and water in a large ice field within the Greenland Sea and (2) achieve the detection and measurement of chlorophyll-in-water by laser-induced and water-Raman-normalized pigment fluorescence. Passive upwelled radiances from sea ice are significantly stronger than those from the neighboring water, even when the optical receiver field-of-view is only partially filled with ice. Thus, weaker passive upwelled radiances, together with concurrently acquired laser-induced spectra, can rather confidently be assigned to the intervening water column. The laser-induced spectrum can then be processed using previously established methods to measure the chlorophyll-in-water concentration. Significant phytoplankton patchiness and elevated chlorophyll concentrations were found within the waters of the melting ice compared to ice-free regions just outside the ice field.

  5. Little ice bodies, huge ice lands, and the up-going of the big water body

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ultee, E.; Bassis, J. N.

    2017-12-01

    Ice moving out of the huge ice lands causes the big water body to go up. That can cause bad things to happen in places close to the big water body - the land might even disappear! If that happens, people living close to the big water body might lose their homes. Knowing how much ice will come out of the huge ice lands, and when, can help the world plan for the up-going of the big water body. We study the huge ice land closest to us. All around the edge of that huge ice land, there are smaller ice bodies that control how much ice makes it into the big water body. Most ways of studying the huge ice land with computers struggle to tell the computer about those little ice bodies, but we have found a new way. We will talk about our way of studying little ice bodies and how their moving brings about up-going of the big water.

  6. Overview of Sea-Ice Properties, Distribution and Temporal Variations, for Application to Ice-Atmosphere Chemical Processes.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Moritz, R. E.

    2005-12-01

    The properties, distribution and temporal variation of sea-ice are reviewed for application to problems of ice-atmosphere chemical processes. Typical vertical structure of sea-ice is presented for different ice types, including young ice, first-year ice and multi-year ice, emphasizing factors relevant to surface chemistry and gas exchange. Time average annual cycles of large scale variables are presented, including ice concentration, ice extent, ice thickness and ice age. Spatial and temporal variability of these large scale quantities is considered on time scales of 1-50 years, emphasizing recent and projected changes in the Arctic pack ice. The amount and time evolution of open water and thin ice are important factors that influence ocean-ice-atmosphere chemical processes. Observations and modeling of the sea-ice thickness distribution function are presented to characterize the range of variability in open water and thin ice.

  7. Open-water and under-ice seasonal variations in trace element content and physicochemical associations in fluvial bed sediment.

    PubMed

    Doig, Lorne E; Carr, Meghan K; Meissner, Anna G N; Jardine, Tim D; Jones, Paul D; Bharadwaj, Lalita; Lindenschmidt, Karl-Erich

    2017-11-01

    Across the circumpolar world, intensive anthropogenic activities in the southern reaches of many large, northward-flowing rivers can cause sediment contamination in the downstream depositional environment. The influence of ice cover on concentrations of inorganic contaminants in bed sediment (i.e., sediment quality) is unknown in these rivers, where winter is the dominant season. A geomorphic response unit approach was used to select hydraulically diverse sampling sites across a northern test-case system, the Slave River and delta (Northwest Territories, Canada). Surface sediment samples (top 1 cm) were collected from 6 predefined geomorphic response units (12 sites) to assess the relationships between bed sediment physicochemistry (particle size distribution and total organic carbon content) and trace element content (mercury and 18 other trace elements) during open-water conditions. A subset of sites was resampled under-ice to assess the influence of season on these relationships and on total trace element content. Concentrations of the majority of trace elements were strongly correlated with percent fines and proxies for grain size (aluminum and iron), with similar trace element grain size/grain size proxy relationships between seasons. However, finer materials were deposited under ice with associated increases in sediment total organic carbon content and the concentrations of most trace elements investigated. The geomorphic response unit approach was effective at identifying diverse hydrological environments for sampling prior to field operations. Our data demonstrate the need for under-ice sampling to confirm year-round consistency in trace element-geochemical relationships in fluvial systems and to define the upper extremes of these relationships. Whether contaminated or not, under-ice bed sediment can represent a "worst-case" scenario in terms of trace element concentrations and exposure for sediment-associated organisms in northern fluvial systems

  8. Water quality observations of ice-covered, stagnant, eutrophic water bodies and analysis of influence of ice-covered period on water quality

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    sugihara, K.; Nakatsugawa, M.

    2013-12-01

    The water quality characteristics of ice-covered, stagnant, eutrophic water bodies have not been clarified because of insufficient observations. It has been pointed out that climate change has been shortening the duration of ice-cover; however, the influence of climate change on water quality has not been clarified. This study clarifies the water quality characteristics of stagnant, eutrophic water bodies that freeze in winter, based on our surveys and simulations, and examines how climate change may influence those characteristics. We made fixed-point observation using self-registering equipment and vertical water sampling. Self-registering equipment measured water temperature and dissolved oxygen(DO).vertical water sampling analyzed biological oxygen demand(BOD), total nitrogen(T-N), nitrate nitrogen(NO3-N), nitrite nitrogen(NO2-N), ammonium nitrogen(NH4-N), total phosphorus(TP), orthophosphoric phosphorus(PO4-P) and chlorophyll-a(Chl-a). The survey found that climate-change-related increases in water temperature were suppressed by ice covering the water area, which also blocked oxygen supply. It was also clarified that the bottom sediment consumed oxygen and turned the water layers anaerobic beginning from the bottom layer, and that nutrient salts eluted from the bottom sediment. The eluted nutrient salts were stored in the water body until the ice melted. The ice-covered period of water bodies has been shortening, a finding based on the analysis of weather and water quality data from 1998 to 2008. Climate change was surveyed as having caused decreases in nutrient salts concentration because of the shortened ice-covered period. However, BOD in spring showed a tendency to increase because of the proliferation of phytoplankton that was promoted by the climate-change-related increase in water temperature. To forecast the water quality by using these findings, particularly the influence of climate change, we constructed a water quality simulation model that

  9. Parameterization and scaling of Arctic ice conditions in the context of ice-atmosphere processes

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Barry, R. G.; Heinrichs, J.; Steffen, K.; Maslanik, J. A.; Key, J.; Serreze, M. C.; Weaver, R. W.

    1994-01-01

    This report summarizes achievements during year three of our project to investigate the use of ERS-1 SAR data to study Arctic ice and ice/atmosphere processes. The project was granted a one year extension, and goals for the final year are outlined. The specific objects of the project are to determine how the development and evolution of open water/thin ice areas within the interior ice pack vary under different atmospheric synoptic regimes; compare how open water/thin ice fractions estimated from large-area divergence measurements differ from fractions determined by summing localized openings in the pack; relate these questions of scale and process to methods of observation, modeling, and averaging over time and space; determine whether SAR data might be used to calibrate ice concentration estimates from medium and low-rate bit sensors (AVHRR and DMSP-OLS) and the special sensor microwave imager (SSM/I); and investigate methods to integrate SAR data for turbulent heat flux parametrization at the atmosphere interface with other satellite data.

  10. Variations in Nutrient Cycling and Meltwater Composition Between Ice-Lidded and Open System Cryoconites

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mass, A.

    2016-12-01

    Cryoconites are small melt pools on the ablation surface of glaciers created by the accumulation of aeolian sediment with a lower albedo than the surrounding ice. While many cryoconites remain open to the surrounding atmosphere, environmental conditions in the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica often lead to the formation of dense ice lids due to advection from cold winds. These lidded cryoconites are isolated from atmospheric exchange while maintaining subsurface melt in a solid-state greenhouse. The varying conditions for the formation and freeze-thaw cycle of cryoconites lead to a range of biogeochemical processes occurring within the pools. This study analyzed the biochemistry of both open and lidded cryoconite water from six glaciers in the Dry Valleys throughout the initial pulse melt, equilibrium, and refreezing periods in 2013- 2015. Many of the spatial gradients in carbon cycling, solute concentrations, and pH identified for lidded cryoconites exhibited opposite trends for pools in equilibrium with the atmosphere, while temporal gradients were less diverse for open pools.

  11. Structure of ice crystallized from supercooled water.

    PubMed

    Malkin, Tamsin L; Murray, Benjamin J; Brukhno, Andrey V; Anwar, Jamshed; Salzmann, Christoph G

    2012-01-24

    The freezing of water to ice is fundamentally important to fields as diverse as cloud formation to cryopreservation. At ambient conditions, ice is considered to exist in two crystalline forms: stable hexagonal ice and metastable cubic ice. Using X-ray diffraction data and Monte Carlo simulations, we show that ice that crystallizes homogeneously from supercooled water is neither of these phases. The resulting ice is disordered in one dimension and therefore possesses neither cubic nor hexagonal symmetry and is instead composed of randomly stacked layers of cubic and hexagonal sequences. We refer to this ice as stacking-disordered ice I. Stacking disorder and stacking faults have been reported earlier for metastable ice I, but only for ice crystallizing in mesopores and in samples recrystallized from high-pressure ice phases rather than in water droplets. Review of the literature reveals that almost all ice that has been identified as cubic ice in previous diffraction studies and generated in a variety of ways was most likely stacking-disordered ice I with varying degrees of stacking disorder. These findings highlight the need to reevaluate the physical and thermodynamic properties of this metastable ice as a function of the nature and extent of stacking disorder using well-characterized samples.

  12. Structure of ice crystallized from supercooled water

    PubMed Central

    Malkin, Tamsin L.; Murray, Benjamin J.; Brukhno, Andrey V.; Anwar, Jamshed; Salzmann, Christoph G.

    2012-01-01

    The freezing of water to ice is fundamentally important to fields as diverse as cloud formation to cryopreservation. At ambient conditions, ice is considered to exist in two crystalline forms: stable hexagonal ice and metastable cubic ice. Using X-ray diffraction data and Monte Carlo simulations, we show that ice that crystallizes homogeneously from supercooled water is neither of these phases. The resulting ice is disordered in one dimension and therefore possesses neither cubic nor hexagonal symmetry and is instead composed of randomly stacked layers of cubic and hexagonal sequences. We refer to this ice as stacking-disordered ice I. Stacking disorder and stacking faults have been reported earlier for metastable ice I, but only for ice crystallizing in mesopores and in samples recrystallized from high-pressure ice phases rather than in water droplets. Review of the literature reveals that almost all ice that has been identified as cubic ice in previous diffraction studies and generated in a variety of ways was most likely stacking-disordered ice I with varying degrees of stacking disorder. These findings highlight the need to reevaluate the physical and thermodynamic properties of this metastable ice as a function of the nature and extent of stacking disorder using well-characterized samples. PMID:22232652

  13. Water vapor, water-ice clouds, and dust in the North Polar Region

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tamppari, Leslie K.; Smith, Michael D.; Bass, Deborah S.; Hale, Amy S.

    2006-01-01

    The behavior of water vapor, water-ice and dust in the Martian atmosphere is important for understanding the overall Martian climate system, which is characterized by three main cycles: water, including water-ice, dust, and CO2. Understanding these cycles will lend insight into the behavior of the atmospheric dynamics, the atmosphere's ability to transport dust, water-ice, and vapor to different parts of the planet, and how that ability changes as a function of dust and water-ice loading.

  14. Water Accommodation on Bare and Coated Ice

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kong, Xiangrui

    2015-04-01

    A good understanding of water accommodation on ice surfaces is essential for quantitatively predicting the evolution of clouds, and therefore influences the effectiveness of climate models. However, the accommodation coefficient is poorly constrained within the literature where reported values vary by up to three orders of magnitude. In addition, the complexity of the chemical composition of the atmosphere plays an important role in ice phase behavior and dynamics. We employ an environmental molecular beam (EMB) technique to investigate molecular water interactions with bare and impurity coated ice at temperatures from 170 K to 200 K. In this work, we summarize results of water accommodation experiments on bare ice (Kong et al., 2014) and on ice coated by methanol (Thomson et al., 2013), butanol (Thomson et al., 2013) and acetic acid (Papagiannakopoulos et al., 2014), and compare those results with analogous experiments using hexanol and nitric acid coatings. Hexanol is chosen as a complementary chain alcohol to methanol and butanol, while nitric acid is a common inorganic compound in the atmosphere. The results show a strong negative temperature dependence of water accommodation on bare ice, which can be quantitatively described by a precursor model. Acidic adlayers tend to enhance water uptake indicating that the system kinetics are thoroughly changed compared to bare ice. Adsorbed alcohols influence the temperature dependence of the accommodation coefficient and water molecules generally spend less time on the surfaces before desorbing, although the measured accommodation coefficients remain high and comparable to bare ice for the investigated systems. We conclude that impurities can either enhance or restrict water uptake in ways that are influenced by several factors including temperature and type of adsorbant, with potential implications for the description of ice particle growth in the atmosphere. This work was supported by the Swedish Research Council and

  15. Observed vulnerability of Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf to wind-driven inflow of warm deep water.

    PubMed

    Darelius, E; Fer, I; Nicholls, K W

    2016-08-02

    The average rate of melting at the base of the large Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf in the southern Weddell Sea is currently low, but projected to increase dramatically within the next century. In a model study, melt rates increase as changing ice conditions cause a redirection of a coastal current, bringing warm water of open ocean origin through the Filchner Depression and into the Filchner Ice Shelf cavity. Here we present observations from near Filchner Ice Shelf and from the Filchner Depression, which show that pulses of warm water already arrive as far south as the ice front. This southward heat transport follows the eastern flank of the Filchner Depression and is found to be directly linked to the strength of a wind-driven coastal current. Our observations emphasize the potential sensitivity of Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf melt rates to changes in wind forcing.

  16. Observed vulnerability of Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf to wind-driven inflow of warm deep water

    PubMed Central

    Darelius, E.; Fer, I.; Nicholls, K. W.

    2016-01-01

    The average rate of melting at the base of the large Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf in the southern Weddell Sea is currently low, but projected to increase dramatically within the next century. In a model study, melt rates increase as changing ice conditions cause a redirection of a coastal current, bringing warm water of open ocean origin through the Filchner Depression and into the Filchner Ice Shelf cavity. Here we present observations from near Filchner Ice Shelf and from the Filchner Depression, which show that pulses of warm water already arrive as far south as the ice front. This southward heat transport follows the eastern flank of the Filchner Depression and is found to be directly linked to the strength of a wind-driven coastal current. Our observations emphasize the potential sensitivity of Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf melt rates to changes in wind forcing. PMID:27481659

  17. Dynamics of Ice/Water Confined in Nanoporous Alumina.

    PubMed

    Suzuki, Yasuhito; Steinhart, Martin; Graf, Robert; Butt, Hans-Jürgen; Floudas, George

    2015-11-19

    Dielectric (DS), IR spectroscopy, and (1)H MAS NMR are employed in the study of ice/water confined in nanoporous alumina with pore diameters ranging from 400 nm down to 25 nm. Within nanoporous alumina there is a transformation from heterogeneous nucleation of hexagonal ice in the larger pores to homogeneous nucleation of cubic ice in the smaller pores. DS and IR show excellent agreement in the temperature interval and pore size dependence of the transformation. DS further revealed two dynamic processes under confinement. The "fast" and "slow" processes with an Arrhenius temperature dependence are attributed to ice and supercooled water relaxation, respectively. The main relaxation process of ice under confinement ("slow" process) has an activation energy of 44 ± 2 kJ/mol. The latter is in agreement with the reported relaxation times and activation energy of cubic ice prepared following a completely different route (by pressure). (1)H MAS NMR provided new insight in the state of ice structures as well as of supercooled water. Under confinement, a layer of liquid-like water coexists with ice structures. In addition, both ice structures under confinement appear to be more ordered than bulk hexagonal ice. Supercooled water in the smaller pores is different from bulk water. It shows a shift of the signal toward higher chemical shift values which may suggest stronger hydrogen bonding between the water molecules or increasing interactions with the AAO walls.

  18. Analysis of water ice and water ice/soil mixtures using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy: application to Mars polar exploration.

    PubMed

    Arp, Zane A; Cremers, David A; Wiens, Roger C; Wayne, David M; Sallé, Béatrice; Maurice, Sylvestre

    2004-08-01

    Recently, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) has been developed for the elemental analysis of geological samples for application to space exploration. There is also interest in using the technique for the analysis of water ice and ice/dust mixtures located at the Mars polar regions. The application is a compact instrument for a lander or rover to the Martian poles to interrogate stratified layers of ice and dusts that contain a record of past geologic history, believed to date back several million years. Here we present results of a study of the use of LIBS for the analysis of water ice and ice/dust mixtures in situ and at short stand-off distances (< 6.5 m) using experimental parameters appropriate for a compact instrument. Characteristics of LIBS spectra of water ice, ice/soil mixtures, element detection limits, and the ability to ablate through ice samples to monitor subsurface dust deposits are discussed.

  19. A comparison of radiation budgets in the Fram Strait marginal ice zone

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Francis, Jennifer A.; Katsaros, Kristina B.; Ackerman, Thomas P.; Lind, Richard J.; Davidson, Kenneth L.

    1991-01-01

    Results are presented from calculations of radiation budgets for the sea-ice and the open-water regimes in the marginal ice zone (MIZ) of the Fram Strait, from measurements of surface irradiances and meteorological conditions made during the 1984 Marginal Ice Zone Experiment. Simultaneous measurements on either side of the ice edge allowed a comparison of the open-water and the sea-ice environments. The results show significant differences between the radiation budgets of the two regimes in the MIZ. The open water absorbed twice as much radiation as did the ice, and the mean cooling rate of the atmosphere over water was approximately 15 percent larger than that over ice. Calculated fluxes and atmospheric cooling rates were found to compare well with available literature data.

  20. The structure of ice crystallized from supercooled water

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Murray, Benjamin

    2013-03-01

    The freezing of water to ice is fundamentally important to fields as diverse as cloud formation to cryopreservation. Traditionally ice was thought to exist in two well-crystalline forms: stable hexagonal ice and metastable cubic ice. It has recently been shown, using X-ray diffraction data, that ice which crystallizes homogeneously and heterogeneously from supercooled water is neither of these phases. The resulting ice is disordered in one dimension and therefore possesses neither cubic nor hexagonal symmetry and is instead composed of randomly stacked layers of cubic and hexagonal sequences. We refer to this ice as stacking-disordered ice I (ice Isd) . This result is consistent with a number of computational studies of the crystallization of water. Review of the literature reveals that almost all ice that has been identified as cubic ice in previous diffraction studies and generated in a variety of ways was most likely stacking-disordered ice I with varying degrees of stacking disorder, which raises the question of whether cubic ice exists. New data will be presented which shows significant stacking disorder (or stacking faults on the order of 1 in every 100 layers of ice Ih) in droplets which froze heterogeneously as warm as 257 K. The identification of stacking-disordered ice from heterogeneous ice nucleation supports the hypothesis that the structure of ice that initially crystallises from supercooled water is stacking-disordered ice I, independent of nucleation mechanism, but this ice can relax to the stable hexagonal phase subject to the kinetics of recrystallization. The formation and persistence of stacking disordered ice in the Earth's atmosphere will also be discussed. Funded by the European Research Council (FP7, 240449 ICE)

  1. Effects of Atmospheric Water and Surface Wind on Passive Microwave Retrievals of Sea Ice Concentration: a Simulation Study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shin, D.; Chiu, L. S.; Clemente-Colon, P.

    2006-05-01

    The atmospheric effects on the retrieval of sea ice concentration from passive microwave sensors are examined using simulated data typical for the Arctic summer. The simulation includes atmospheric contributions of cloud liquid water, water vapor and surface wind on the microwave signatures. A plane parallel radiative transfer model is used to compute brightness temperatures at SSM/I frequencies over surfaces that contain open water, first-year (FY) ice and multi-year (MY) ice and their combinations. Synthetic retrievals in this study use the NASA Team (NT) algorithm for the estimation of sea ice concentrations. This study shows that if the satellite sensor's field of view is filled with only FY ice the retrieval is not much affected by the atmospheric conditions due to the high contrast between emission signals from FY ice surface and the signals from the atmosphere. Pure MY ice concentration is generally underestimated due to the low MY ice surface emissivity that results in the enhancement of emission signals from the atmospheric parameters. Simulation results in marginal ice areas also show that the atmospheric effects from cloud liquid water, water vapor and surface wind tend to degrade the accuracy at low sea ice concentration. FY ice concentration is overestimated and MY ice concentration is underestimated in the presence of atmospheric water and surface wind at low ice concentration. This compensating effect reduces the retrieval uncertainties of total (FY and MY) ice concentration. Over marginal ice zones, our results suggest that strong surface wind is more important than atmospheric water in contributing to the retrieval errors of total ice concentrations in the normal ranges of these variables.

  2. The sources of Antarctic bottom water in a global ice ocean model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Goosse, Hugues; Campin, Jean-Michel; Tartinville, Benoı̂t

    Two mechanisms contribute to the formation of Antarctic bottom water (AABW). The first, and probably the most important, is initiated by the brine released on the Antarctic continental shelf during ice formation which is responsible for an increase in salinity. After mixing with ambient water at the shelf break, this salty and dense water sinks along the shelf slope and invades the deepest part of the global ocean. For the second one, the increase of surface water density is due to strong cooling at the ocean-atmosphere interface, together with a contribution from brine release. This induces deep convection and the renewal of deep waters. The relative importance of these two mechanisms is investigated in a global coupled ice-ocean model. Chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) concentrations simulated by the model compare favourably with observations, suggesting a reasonable deep water ventilation in the Southern Ocean, except close to Antarctica where concentrations are too high. Two artificial passive tracers released at surface on the Antarctic continental shelf and in the open-ocean allow to show clearly that the two mechanisms contribute significantly to the renewal of AABW in the model. This indicates that open-ocean convection is overestimated in our simulation. Additional experiments show that the amount of AABW production due to the export of dense shelf waters is quite sensitive to the parameterisation of the effect of downsloping and meso-scale eddies. Nevertheless, shelf waters always contribute significantly to deep water renewal. Besides, increasing the P.R. Gent, J.C. McWilliams [Journal of Physical Oceanography 20 (1990) 150-155] thickness diffusion can nearly suppress the AABW formation by open-ocean convection.

  3. Ice Particle Impact on Cloud Water Content Instrumentation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Emery, Edward F.; Miller, Dean R.; Plaskon, Stephen R.; Strapp, Walter; Lillie, Lyle

    2004-01-01

    Determining the total amount of water contained in an icing cloud necessitates the measurement of both the liquid droplets and ice particles. One commonly accepted method for measuring cloud water content utilizes a hot wire sensing element, which is maintained at a constant temperature. In this approach, the cloud water content is equated with the power required to keep the sense element at a constant temperature. This method inherently assumes that impinging cloud particles remain on the sensing element surface long enough to be evaporated. In the case of ice particles, this assumption requires that the particles do not bounce off the surface after impact. Recent tests aimed at characterizing ice particle impact on a thermally heated wing section, have raised questions about the validity of this assumption. Ice particles were observed to bounce off the heated wing section a very high percentage of the time. This result could have implications for Total Water Content sensors which are designed to capture ice particles, and thus do not account for bouncing or breakup of ice particles. Based on these results, a test was conducted to investigate ice particle impact on the sensing elements of the following hot-wire cloud water content probes: (1) Nevzorov Total Water Content (TWC)/Liquid Water Content (LWC) probe, (2) Science Engineering Associates TWC probe, and (3) Particle Measuring Systems King probe. Close-up video imaging was used to study ice particle impact on the sensing element of each probe. The measured water content from each probe was also determined for each cloud condition. This paper will present results from this investigation and attempt to evaluate the significance of ice particle impact on hot-wire cloud water content measurements.

  4. Characteristics of basal ice and subglacial water at Dome Fuji, Antarctica ice sheet

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Motoyama, H.; Uemura, R.; Hirabayashi, M.; Miyake, T.; Kuramoto, T.; Tanaka, Y.; Dome Fuji Ice Core Project, M.

    2008-12-01

    than the cutting chips has been collected. When the drilling passed 3033.46m, the amount of ice chip was decreased. But the amount of ice chip collected increase again from 3034.59m and many large ices have taken the upper part of ice core. The temperature of ice sheet near the bedrock is the pressure melting point. So the liquid water can exist easy there. The water like groundwater infiltrated into the borehole and froze in drilling liquid from 3031.44m to 3033.46m. Under 3034.59m, the subglacial water infiltrated into the borehole and froze in drilling liquid. The existence of water channel in the ice core was found. We think that the liquid water has been flowing through the boundary of ice crystal. (Characteristics of chemical constituents): The melted ice was analyzed every 10cm per 50cm from 2400m to 3028m and continuously every 10cm from 3028m to 3034m. The analytical items were water isotopes (d18O and dD), micro particles (dust) and major ion components. The variations of water isotope and dust in ice near the bedrock have no conspicuous change. But, the concentrations of Cl- and Na+ ions had interesting behavior. The concentration of Cl- ion increased and Na+ ion was decreased deeper than 3020m. Further the concentrations of all ions were decreased suddenly deeper than 3034m. The concentration of ions will be decrease in turn according to the solubility of the ion. home/

  5. Water Ice and Life's Roots in Space

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Blake, David; Jenniskens, Peter; DeVincenzi, Donald L. (Technical Monitor)

    2001-01-01

    Nearly three decades ago as Voyager 2 spacecraft raced out of the Solar System. NASA engineers turned its camera arm around (at the request of the American astronomer Carl Sagan) to take a parting snapshot of Earth. Earth's image was a single pale blue pixel, its color caused by the Rayleigh scattering of sunlight in the water of our oceans. Earth is a water planet, and this is the color of life. No matter how far we travel on our planet, no matter how high or deep, if we find liquid water, we find some form of life that manages to survive there. And yet there is a cruel irony. Water in its solid crystalline form is hostile to life. Organisms can roost in geysers, wallow in brine and gulp down acid, but they cowered from ice. The rigid ordering of water molecules in ice crystals expels impurities and tears organic tissue beyond repair. In fact, about the only good thing you can say about ice is that it gets out of the way: Its low density ensures that it floats and leaves the water dwelling creatures in peace. Recent discoveries have caused us to rethink this basic premise. New lines of evidence both observational and experimental - suggest that prebiotic organic compounds are not only comfortable in, but in fact had their origin in a peculiar form of solid water ice that is ubiquitous in interstellar space, but completely absent from Earth. Only recently have we been able to create even submicroscopic quantities of this ice in terrestrial laboratories, yet it constitutes the most abundant form of water in the universe. Interstellar ice is a far cry from the ice we are so familiar with on Earth. This interstellar ice has no crystalline structure, and despite the fact that its temperature is a scant few degrees above absolute zero (where all molecular motion ceases), it is highly reactive and can flow like water when exposed to radiation. It is in fact this ice's similarity to liquid water that allows it to participate in the creation of the very first organic

  6. New porous water ice metastable at atmospheric pressure obtained by emptying a hydrogen-filled ice

    PubMed Central

    del Rosso, Leonardo; Celli, Milva; Ulivi, Lorenzo

    2016-01-01

    The properties of some forms of water ice reserve still intriguing surprises. Besides the several stable or metastable phases of pure ice, solid mixtures of water with gases are precursors of other ices, as in some cases they may be emptied, leaving a metastable hydrogen-bound water structure. We present here the first characterization of a new form of ice, obtained from the crystalline solid compound of water and molecular hydrogen called C0-structure filled ice. By means of Raman spectroscopy, we measure the hydrogen release at different temperatures and succeed in rapidly removing all the hydrogen molecules, obtaining a new form of ice (ice XVII). Its structure is determined by means of neutron diffraction measurements. Of paramount interest is that the emptied crystal can adsorb again hydrogen and release it repeatedly, showing a temperature-dependent hysteresis. PMID:27819265

  7. 21 CFR 1250.86 - Water for making ice.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Water for making ice. 1250.86 Section 1250.86 Food... SANITATION Sanitation Facilities and Conditions on Vessels § 1250.86 Water for making ice. Only potable water shall be piped into a freezer for making ice for drinking and culinary purposes. ...

  8. Identification of Clathrate Hydrates, Hexagonal Ice, Cubic Ice, and Liquid Water in Simulations: the CHILL+ Algorithm.

    PubMed

    Nguyen, Andrew H; Molinero, Valeria

    2015-07-23

    Clathrate hydrates and ice I are the most abundant crystals of water. The study of their nucleation, growth, and decomposition using molecular simulations requires an accurate and efficient algorithm that distinguishes water molecules that belong to each of these crystals and the liquid phase. Existing algorithms identify ice or clathrates, but not both. This poses a challenge for cases in which ice and hydrate coexist, such as in the synthesis of clathrates from ice and the formation of ice from clathrates during self-preservation of methane hydrates. Here we present an efficient algorithm for the identification of clathrate hydrates, hexagonal ice, cubic ice, and liquid water in molecular simulations. CHILL+ uses the number of staggered and eclipsed water-water bonds to identify water molecules in cubic ice, hexagonal ice, and clathrate hydrate. CHILL+ is an extension of CHILL (Moore et al. Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 2010, 12, 4124-4134), which identifies hexagonal and cubic ice but not clathrates. In addition to the identification of hydrates, CHILL+ significantly improves the detection of hexagonal ice up to its melting point. We validate the use of CHILL+ for the identification of stacking faults in ice and the nucleation and growth of clathrate hydrates. To our knowledge, this is the first algorithm that allows for the simultaneous identification of ice and clathrate hydrates, and it does so in a way that is competitive with respect to existing methods used to identify any of these crystals.

  9. Bio-optical properties of Arctic drift ice and surface waters north of Svalbard from winter to spring

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kowalczuk, Piotr; Meler, Justyna; Kauko, Hanna M.; Pavlov, Alexey K.; Zabłocka, Monika; Peeken, Ilka; Dybwad, Christine; Castellani, Giulia; Granskog, Mats A.

    2017-06-01

    We have quantified absorption by CDOM, aCDOM(λ), particulate matter, ap(λ), algal pigments, aph(λ), and detrital material, aNAP(λ), coincident with chlorophyll a in sea ice and surface waters in winter and spring 2015 in the Arctic Ocean north of Svalbard. The aCDOM(λ) was low in contrast to other regions of the Arctic Ocean, while ap(λ) has the largest contribution to absorption variability in sea ice and surface waters. ap(443) was 1.4-2.8 times and 1.3-1.8 times higher than aCDOM(443) in surface water and sea ice, respectively. aph(λ) contributed 90% and 81% to ap(λ), in open leads and under-ice waters column, and much less (53%-74%) in sea ice, respectively. Both aCDOM(λ) and ap(λ) followed closely the vertical distribution of chlorophyll a in sea ice and the water column. We observed a tenfold increase of the chlorophyll a concentration and nearly twofold increase in absorption at 443 nm in sea ice from winter to spring. The aCDOM(λ) dominated the absorption budget in the UV both in sea ice and surface waters. In the visible range, absorption was dominated by aph(λ), which contributed more than 50% and aCDOM(λ), which contributed 43% to total absorption in water column. Detrital absorption contributed significantly (33%) only in surface ice layer. Algae dynamics explained more than 90% variability in ap(λ) and aph(λ) in water column, but less than 70% in the sea ice. This study presents detailed absorption budget that is relevant for modeling of radiative transfer and primary production.

  10. Water Ice on Mercury

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2015-04-16

    This orthographic projection view from NASA MESSENGER spacecraft provides a look at Mercury north polar region. The yellow regions in many of the craters mark locations that show evidence for water ice, as detected by Earth-based radar observations from Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico. MESSENGER has collected compelling new evidence that the deposits are indeed water ice, including imaging within the permanently shaded interiors of some of the craters, such as Prokofiev and Fuller. Instrument: Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS) Arecibo Radar Image: In yellow (Harmon et al., 2011, Icarus 211, 37-50) http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19411

  11. Effects of weather on the retrieval of sea ice concentration and ice type from passive microwave data

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Maslanik, J. A.

    1992-01-01

    Effects of wind, water vapor, and cloud liquid water on ice concentration and ice type calculated from passive microwave data are assessed through radiative transfer calculations and observations. These weather effects can cause overestimates in ice concentration and more substantial underestimates in multi-year ice percentage by decreasing polarization and by decreasing the gradient between frequencies. The effect of surface temperature and air temperature on the magnitudes of weather-related errors is small for ice concentration and substantial for multiyear ice percentage. The existing weather filter in the NASA Team Algorithm addresses only weather effects over open ocean; the additional use of local open-ocean tie points and an alternative weather correction for the marginal ice zone can further reduce errors due to weather. Ice concentrations calculated using 37 versus 18 GHz data show little difference in total ice covered area, but greater differences in intermediate concentration classes. Given the magnitude of weather-related errors in ice classification from passive microwave data, corrections for weather effects may be necessary to detect small trends in ice covered area and ice type for climate studies.

  12. Upper Ocean Evolution Across the Beaufort Sea Marginal Ice Zone

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lee, C.; Rainville, L.; Gobat, J. I.; Perry, M. J.; Freitag, L. E.; Webster, S.

    2016-12-01

    The observed reduction of Arctic summertime sea ice extent and expansion of the marginal ice zone (MIZ) have profound impacts on the balance of processes controlling sea ice evolution, including the introduction of several positive feedback mechanisms that may act to accelerate melting. Examples of such feedbacks include increased upper ocean warming though absorption of solar radiation, elevated internal wave energy and mixing that may entrain heat stored in subsurface watermasses (e.g., the relatively warm Pacific Summer and Atlantic waters), and elevated surface wave energy that acts to deform and fracture sea ice. Spatial and temporal variability in ice properties and open water fraction impact these processes. To investigate how upper ocean structure varies with changing ice cover, how the balance of processes shift as a function of ice fraction and distance from open water, and how these processes impact sea ice evolution, a network of autonomous platforms sampled the atmosphere-ice-ocean system in the Beaufort, beginning in spring, well before the start of melt, and ending with the autumn freeze-up. Four long-endurance autonomous Seagliders occupied sections that extended from open water, through the marginal ice zone, deep into the pack during summer 2014 in the Beaufort Sea. Gliders penetrated up to 200 km into the ice pack, under complete ice cover for up to 10 consecutive days. Sections reveal strong fronts where cold, ice-covered waters meet waters that have been exposed to solar warming, and O(10 km) scale eddies near the ice edge. In the pack, Pacific Summer Water and a deep chlorophyll maximum form distinct layers at roughly 60 m and 80 m, respectively, which become increasingly diffuse late in the season as they progress through the MIZ and into open water. Stratification just above the Pacific Summer Water rapidly weakens near the ice edge and temperature variance increases, likely due to mixing or energetic vertical exchange associated with strong

  13. Investigation of surface water behavior during glaze ice accretion

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hansman, R. John, Jr.; Turnock, Stephen R.

    1990-01-01

    A series of experimental investigations that focused on isolating the primary factors that control the behavior of unfrozen surface water during glaze ice accretion were conducted. Detailed microvideo observations were made of glaze ice accretions on 2.54 cm diam cylinders in a closed-loop refrigerated wind tunnel. Distinct zones of surface water behavior were observed; a smooth wet zone in the stagnation region with a uniform water film, a rough zone where surface tension effects caused coalescence of surface water into stationary beads, and a zone where surface water ran back as rivulets. The location of the transition from the smooth to the rough zone was found to migrate towards the stagnation point with time. Comparative tests were conducted to study the effect of the substrate thermal and roughness properties on ice accretion. The importance of surface water behavior was evaluated by the addition of a surface tension reducing agent to the icing tunnel water supply, which significantly altered the accreted glaze ice shape. Measurements were made to determine the contact angle behavior of water droplets on ice. A simple multizone modification to current glaze ice accretion models was proposed to include the observed surface roughness behavior.

  14. The Role of Terrestrial Inputs of Organic Matter in Arctic Lagoons: Comparative Studies from Open-Water and Ice-Covered Periods

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dunton, K. H.; McClelland, J. W.; Connelly, T.; Linn, S.; Khosh, M.

    2012-12-01

    Coastal ecosystems of the Arctic receive extraordinarily large quantities of terrestrial organic matter through river discharge and shoreline erosion. This organic matter, both in dissolved and particulate form, may provide an important carbon and energy subsidy that supports and maintains heterotrophic activity and food webs in coastal waters, especially in the lagoons. Recent food web studies using stable isotopes confirm the significant assimilation of terrestrial organic matter, based on the depletion in both 13C and 15N content of invertebrate and vertebrate consumers collected in eastern Beaufort Sea lagoons vs. offshore waters. Our current work specifically focuses on a set of 12 field sites along the eastern Alaskan Beaufort Sea coast, from Barter Island to Demarcation Bay. To examine linkages between biological communities and organic matter inputs from land, we compared sites ranging from lagoons to open coastal systems that receive differing amounts of freshwater runoff and also differ markedly in their exchange characteristics with shelf waters. Our temporal and spatial effort included field sampling during the ice covered period in a number of lagoons characterized by differences in their exchange characteristics with the nearshore shelf. Our preliminary chemical and biological measurements, the first of their kind in arctic coastal lagoons, reveal that lagoon benthos can become hypersaline (43) and net heterotrophic (values to 30% oxygen saturation) during winter, before rebounding during the period of ice break-up to net autotrophic (>100% saturation) under continued hypersaline conditions. Measurements of water and sediment chemistry, benthic and water column community characteristics, and natural abundance isotopic tracers promise to reveal the dynamic nature of these productive lagoon ecosystems under different hydrologic conditions. The possible role of terrestrially derived carbon to arctic estuarine food webs is especially important in view of

  15. Field observations of slush ice generated during freeze-up in arctic coastal waters

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Reimnitz, E.; Kempema, E.W.

    1987-01-01

    a brief time period in the previous fall. Ocean turbulence is greatly reduced while the congealing slush ice drifts about. Therefore, new ice then forming in intervening open-water areas is clean. These events explain the patchy appearance of the fast ice after the summer snowmelt. More work on the important phenomena reported here is needed to close a major gap in the knowledge of the arctic marine environment. ?? 1987.

  16. N2 and CO Desorption Energies from Water Ice

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fayolle, Edith C.; Balfe, Jodi; Loomis, Ryan; Bergner, Jennifer; Graninger, Dawn; Rajappan, Mahesh; Öberg, Karin I.

    2016-01-01

    The relative desorption energies of CO and N2 are key to interpretations of observed interstellar CO and N2 abundance patterns, including the well-documented CO and N2H+ anti-correlations in disks, protostars, and molecular cloud cores. Based on laboratory experiments on pure CO and N2 ice desorption, the difference between CO and N2 desorption energies is small; the N2-to-CO desorption energy ratio is 0.93 ± 0.03. Interstellar ices are not pure, however, and in this study we explore the effect of water ice on the desorption energy ratio of the two molecules. We present temperature programmed desorption experiments of different coverages of 13CO and 15N2 on porous and compact amorphous water ices and, for reference, of pure ices. In all experiments, 15N2 desorption begins a few degrees before the onset of 13CO desorption. The 15N2 and 13CO energy barriers are 770 and 866 K for the pure ices, 1034-1143 K and 1155-1298 K for different submonolayer coverages on compact water ice, and 1435 and 1575 K for ˜1 ML of ice on top of porous water ice. For all equivalent experiments, the N2-to-CO desorption energy ratio is consistently 0.9. Whenever CO and N2 ice reside in similar ice environments (e.g., experience a similar degree of interaction with water ice) their desorption temperatures should thus be within a few degrees of one another. A smaller N2-to-CO desorption energy ratio may be present in interstellar and circumstellar environments if the average CO ice molecules interacts more with water ice compared to the average N2 molecules.

  17. Water freezing and ice melting

    DOE PAGES

    Malolepsza, Edyta; Keyes, Tom

    2015-10-12

    The generalized replica exchange method (gREM) is designed to sample states with coexisting phases and thereby to describe strong first order phase transitions. The isobaric MD version of the gREM is presented and applied to freezing of liquid water, and melting of hexagonal and cubic ice. It is confirmed that coexisting states are well sampled. The statistical temperature as a function of enthalpy, T S(H), is obtained. Hysteresis between freezing and melting is observed and discussed. The entropic analysis of phase transitions is applied and equilibrium transition temperatures, latent heats, and surface tensions are obtained for hexagonal ice↔liquid and cubicmore » ice↔liquid, with excellent agreement with published values. A new method is given to assign water molecules among various symmetry types. As a result, pathways for water freezing, ultimately leading to hexagonal ice, are found to contain intermediate layered structures built from hexagonal and cubic ice.« less

  18. Interior ice/mineral/water interface dynamics (Invited)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rempel, A. W.

    2009-12-01

    The search for life begins with the search for liquid water. In our solar system, persistent water reservoirs are invariably found together with ice. On Earth, organisms have evolved to thrive at sub-zero temperatures in ice-bound habitats that have numerous analogues throughout our solar system and beyond. To assess the potential for life requires a thorough investigation of the dynamic interactions within these deposits. Well-established thermodynamic principles govern the stable coexistence of premelted liquid at the interface between ice and other minerals. Foreign constituents are efficiently rejected from the ice crystal lattice and are concentrated in residual liquid regions instead. This gains added importance with the recognition that the most fundamental requirements for survival include a food source and the removal of waste. This talk reviews the astrobiological implications of the availability, behavior, and properties of liquid water in association with the interiors of icy bodies and ice-mineral interfacial regions.

  19. Polypentagonal ice-like water networks emerge solely in an activity-improved variant of ice-binding protein.

    PubMed

    Mahatabuddin, Sheikh; Fukami, Daichi; Arai, Tatsuya; Nishimiya, Yoshiyuki; Shimizu, Rumi; Shibazaki, Chie; Kondo, Hidemasa; Adachi, Motoyasu; Tsuda, Sakae

    2018-05-22

    Polypentagonal water networks were recently observed in a protein capable of binding to ice crystals, or ice-binding protein (IBP). To examine such water networks and clarify their role in ice-binding, we determined X-ray crystal structures of a 65-residue defective isoform of a Zoarcidae -derived IBP (wild type, WT) and its five single mutants (A20L, A20G, A20T, A20V, and A20I). Polypentagonal water networks composed of ∼50 semiclathrate waters were observed solely on the strongest A20I mutant, which appeared to include a tetrahedral water cluster exhibiting a perfect position match to the [Formula: see text] first prism plane of a single ice crystal. Inclusion of another symmetrical water cluster in the polypentagonal network showed a perfect complementarity to the waters constructing the [Formula: see text] pyramidal ice plane. The order of ice-binding strength was A20L < A20G < WT < A20T < A20V < A20I, where the top three mutants capable of binding to the first prism and the pyramidal ice planes commonly contained a bifurcated γ-CH 3 group. These results suggest that a fine-tuning of the surface of Zoarcidae -derived IBP assisted by a side-chain group regulates the holding property of its polypentagonal water network, the function of which is to freeze the host protein to specific ice planes. Copyright © 2018 the Author(s). Published by PNAS.

  20. Environmental Predictors of Ice Seal Presence in the Bering Sea

    PubMed Central

    Miksis-Olds, Jennifer L.

    2014-01-01

    Ice seals overwintering in the Bering Sea are challenged with foraging, finding mates, and maintaining breathing holes in a dark and ice covered environment. Due to the difficulty of studying these species in their natural environment, very little is known about how the seals navigate under ice. Here we identify specific environmental parameters, including components of the ambient background sound, that are predictive of ice seal presence in the Bering Sea. Multi-year mooring deployments provided synoptic time series of acoustic and oceanographic parameters from which environmental parameters predictive of species presence were identified through a series of mixed models. Ice cover and 10 kHz sound level were significant predictors of seal presence, with 40 kHz sound and prey presence (combined with ice cover) as potential predictors as well. Ice seal presence showed a strong positive correlation with ice cover and a negative association with 10 kHz environmental sound. On average, there was a 20–30 dB difference between sound levels during solid ice conditions compared to open water or melting conditions, providing a salient acoustic gradient between open water and solid ice conditions by which ice seals could orient. By constantly assessing the acoustic environment associated with the seasonal ice movement in the Bering Sea, it is possible that ice seals could utilize aspects of the soundscape to gauge their safe distance to open water or the ice edge by orienting in the direction of higher sound levels indicative of open water, especially in the frequency range above 1 kHz. In rapidly changing Arctic and sub-Arctic environments, the seasonal ice conditions and soundscapes are likely to change which may impact the ability of animals using ice presence and cues to successfully function during the winter breeding season. PMID:25229453

  1. Influence of sea ice on Arctic coasts

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Barnhart, K. R.; Kay, J. E.; Overeem, I.; Anderson, R. S.

    2017-12-01

    Coasts form the dynamic interface between the terrestrial and oceanic systems. In the Arctic, and in much of the world, the coast is a focal point for population, infrastructure, biodiversity, and ecosystem services. A key difference between Arctic and temperate coasts is the presence of sea ice. Changes in sea ice cover can influence the coast because (1) the length of the sea ice-free season controls the time over which nearshore water can interact with the land, and (2) the location of the sea ice edge controls the fetch over which storm winds can interact with open ocean water, which in turn governs nearshore water level and wave field. We first focus on the interaction of sea ice and ice-rich coasts. We combine satellite records of sea ice with a model for wind-driven storm surge and waves to estimate how changes in the sea ice-free season have impacted the nearshore hydrodynamic environment along Alaska's Beaufort Sea Coast for the period 1979-2012. This region has experienced some of the greatest changes in both sea ice cover and coastal erosion rates in the Arctic: the median length of the open-water season has expanded by 90 percent, while coastal erosion rates have more than doubled from 8.7 to 19 m yr-1. At Drew Point, NW winds increase shoreline water levels that control the incision of a submarine notch, the rate-limiting step of coastal retreat. The maximum water-level setup at Drew Point has increased consistently with increasing fetch. We extend our analysis to the entire Arctic using both satellite-based observations and global coupled climate model output from the Community Earth System Model Large Ensemble (CESM-LE) project. This 30-member ensemble employs a 1-degree version of the CESM-CAM5 historical forcing for the period 1920-2005, and RCP 8.5 forcing from 2005-2100. A control model run with constant pre-industrial (1850) forcing characterizes internal variability in a constant climate. Finally, we compare observations and model results to

  2. Instability of water-ice interface under turbulent flow

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Izumi, Norihiro; Naito, Kensuke; Yokokawa, Miwa

    2015-04-01

    It is known that plane water-ice interface becomes unstable to evolve into a train of waves. The underside of ice formed on the water surface of rivers are often observed to be covered with ice ripples. Relatively steep channels which discharge melting water from glaciers are characterized by beds covered with a series of steps. Though the flowing agent inducing instability is not water but gas including water vapor, a similar train of steps have been recently observed on the Polar Ice Caps on Mars (Spiral Troughs). They are expected to be caused by the instability of water-ice interface induced by flowing fluid on ice. There have been some studies on this instability in terms of linear stability analysis. Recently, Caporeale and Ridolfi (2012) have proposed a complete linear stability analysis in the case of laminar flow, and found that plane water-ice interface is unstable in the range of sufficiently large Reynolds numbers, and that the important parameters are the Reynolds number, the slope angle, and the water surface temperature. However, the flow inducing instability on water-ice interface in the field should be in the turbulent regime. Extension of the analysis to the case of fully developed turbulent flow with larger Reynolds numbers is needed. We have performed a linear stability analysis on the instability of water-ice interface under turbulent flow conditions with the use of the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations with the mixing length turbulent model, the continuity equation of flow, the diffusion/dispersion equation of heat, and the Stefan equation. In order to reproduce the accurate velocity distribution and the heat transfer in the vicinity of smooth walls with the use of the mixing length model, it is important to take into account of the rapid decrease in the mixing length in the viscous sublayer. We employ the Driest model (1956) to the formulation. In addition, as the thermal boundary condition at the water surface, we describe the

  3. Water ice and sub-micron ice particles on Tethys and Mimas

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Scipioni, Francesca; Nordheim, Tom; Clark, Roger Nelson; D'Aversa, Emiliano; Cruikshank, Dale P.; Tosi, Federico; Schenk, Paul M.; Combe, Jean-Philippe; Dalle Ore, Cristina M.

    2017-10-01

    IntroductionWe present our ongoing work, mapping the variation of the main water ice absorption bands, and the distribution of the sub-micron particles, across Mimas and Tethys’ surfaces using Cassini-VIMS cubes acquired in the IR range (0.8-5.1 μm). We present our results in the form of maps of variation of selected spectral indicators (depth of absorption bands, reflectance peak height, spectral slopes).Data analysisVIMS acquires hyperspectral data in the 0.3-5.1 μm spectral range. We selected VIMS cubes of Tethys and Mimas in the IR range (0.8-5.1 μm). For all pixels in the selected cubes, we measured the band depths for water-ice absorptions at 1.25, 1.5 and 2.02 μm and the height of the 3.6 μm reflection peak. Moreover, we considered the spectral indictors for particles smaller than 1 µm [1]: (i) the 2 µm absorption band is asymmetric and (ii) it has the minimum shifted to longer λ (iii) the band depth ratio 1.5/2.0 µm decreases; (iv) the reflection peak at 2.6 µm decreases; (v) the Fresnel reflection peak is suppressed; (vi) the 5 µm reflectance is decreased relative to the 3.6 µm peak. To characterize the global variation of water-ice band depths, and of sub-micron particles spectral indicators, across Mimas and Tethys, we sampled the two satellites’ surfacees with a 1°x1° fixed-resolution grid and then averaged the band depths and peak values inside each square cell.3. ResultsFor both moons we find that large geologic features, such as the Odysseus and Herschel impact basins, do not correlate with water ice’s abundance variation. For Tethys, we found a quite uniform surface on both hemispheres. The only deviation from this pattern shows up on the trailing hemisphere, where we notice two north-oriented, dark areas around 225° and 315°. For Mimas, the leading and trailing hemispheres appear to be quite similar in water ice abundance, the trailing portion having water ice absorption bands lightly more suppressed than the leading side

  4. Incorporation of stratospheric acids into water ice

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Elliott, Scott; Turco, Richard P.; Toon, Owen B.; Hamill, Patrick

    1990-01-01

    Hydrochloric and hydrofluoric acids are absorbed within the water ice lattice at mole fractions maximizing below 0.00001 and 0.0001 in a variety of solid impurity studies. The absorption mechanism may be substitutional or interstitial, leading in either case to a weak permeation of stratospheric ices by the acids at equilibrium. Impurities could also inhabit grain boundaries, and the acid content of atmospheric ice crystals will then depend on details of their surface and internal microstructures. Limited evidence indicates similar properties for the absorption of HNO3. Water ice lattices saturated with acid cannot be a significant local reservoir for HCl in the polar stratosphere.

  5. Water Ice on Pluto

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2015-10-08

    Regions with exposed water ice are highlighted in blue in this composite image from New Horizons' Ralph instrument, combining visible imagery from the Multispectral Visible Imaging Camera (MVIC) with infrared spectroscopy from the Linear Etalon Imaging Spectral Array (LEISA). The strongest signatures of water ice occur along Virgil Fossa, just west of Elliot crater on the left side of the inset image, and also in Viking Terra near the top of the frame. A major outcrop also occurs in Baré Montes towards the right of the image, along with numerous much smaller outcrops, mostly associated with impact craters and valleys between mountains. The scene is approximately 280 miles (450 kilometers) across. Note that all surface feature names are informal. http://ppj2:8080/catalog/PIA19963

  6. Investigation of surface water behavior during glaze ice accretion

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hansman, R. John, Jr.; Turnock, Stephen R.

    1988-01-01

    Microvideo observations of glaze ice accretions on 1-in-diameter cylinders in a closed-loop refrigerated wind tunnel were obtained to study factors controlling the behavior of unfrozen surface water during glaze ice accretion. Three zones of surface water behavior were noted, each with a characteristic roughness. The effect of substrate thermal and roughness properties on ice accretions was also studied. The contact angle and hysteresis were found to increase sharply at temperatures just below 0 C, explaining the high resistance to motion of water beads observed on accreting glaze ice surfaces. Based on the results, a simple multizone modification to the current glaze ice accretion model is proposed.

  7. Upper Ocean Evolution Across the Beaufort Sea Marginal Ice Zone from Autonomous Gliders

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lee, Craig; Rainville, Luc; Perry, Mary Jane

    2016-04-01

    The observed reduction of Arctic summertime sea ice extent and expansion of the marginal ice zone (MIZ) have profound impacts on the balance of processes controlling sea ice evolution, including the introduction of several positive feedback mechanisms that may act to accelerate melting. Examples of such feedbacks include increased upper ocean warming though absorption of solar radiation, elevated internal wave energy and mixing that may entrain heat stored in subsurface watermasses (e.g., the relatively warm Pacific Summer (PSW) and Atlantic (AW) waters), and elevated surface wave energy that acts to deform and fracture sea ice. Spatial and temporal variability in ice properties and open water fraction impact these processes. To investigate how upper ocean structure varies with changing ice cover, and how the balance of processes shift as a function of ice fraction and distance from open water, four long-endurance autonomous Seagliders occupied sections that extended from open water, through the marginal ice zone, deep into the pack during summer 2014 in the Beaufort Sea. Sections reveal strong fronts where cold, ice-covered waters meet waters that have been exposed to solar warming, and O(10 km) scale eddies near the ice edge. In the pack, Pacific Summer Water and a deep chlorophyll maximum form distinct layers at roughly 60 m and 80 m, respectively, which become increasingly diffuse as they progress through the MIZ and into open water. The isopynal layer between 1023 and 1024 kgm-3, just above the PSW, consistently thickens near the ice edge, likely due to mixing or energetic vertical exchange associated with strong lateral gradients in this region. This presentation will discuss the upper ocean variability, its relationship to sea ice extent, and evolution over the summer to the start of freeze up.

  8. Upper Ocean Evolution Across the Beaufort Sea Marginal Ice Zone from Autonomous Gliders

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lee, C.; Rainville, L.; Perry, M. J.

    2016-02-01

    The observed reduction of Arctic summertime sea ice extent and expansion of the marginal ice zone (MIZ) have profound impacts on the balance of processes controlling sea ice evolution, including the introduction of several positive feedback mechanisms that may act to accelerate melting. Examples of such feedbacks include increased upper ocean warming though absorption of solar radiation, elevated internal wave energy and mixing that may entrain heat stored in subsurface watermasses (e.g., the relatively warm Pacific Summer (PSW) and Atlantic (AW) waters), and elevated surface wave energy that acts to deform and fracture sea ice. Spatial and temporal variability in ice properties and open water fraction impact these processes. To investigate how upper ocean structure varies with changing ice cover, and how the balance of processes shift as a function of ice fraction and distance from open water, four long-endurance autonomous Seagliders occupied sections that extended from open water, through the marginal ice zone, deep into the pack during summer 2014 in the Beaufort Sea. Sections reveal strong fronts where cold, ice-covered waters meet waters that have been exposed to solar warming, and O(10 km) scale eddies near the ice edge. In the pack, Pacific Summer Water and a deep chlorophyll maximum form distinct layers at roughly 60 m and 80 m, respectively, which become increasingly diffuse as they progress through the MIZ and into open water. The isopynal layer between 1023 and 1024 kg m-3, just above the PSW, consistently thickens near the ice edge, likely due to mixing or energetic vertical exchange associated with strong lateral gradients in this region. This presentation will discuss the upper ocean variability, its relationship to sea ice extent, and evolution over the summer to the start of freeze up.

  9. Autonomous Ice Mass Balance Buoys for Seasonal Sea Ice

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Whitlock, J. D.; Planck, C.; Perovich, D. K.; Parno, J. T.; Elder, B. C.; Richter-Menge, J.; Polashenski, C. M.

    2017-12-01

    The ice mass-balance represents the integration of all surface and ocean heat fluxes and attributing the impact of these forcing fluxes on the ice cover can be accomplished by increasing temporal and spatial measurements. Mass balance information can be used to understand the ongoing changes in the Arctic sea ice cover and to improve predictions of future ice conditions. Thinner seasonal ice in the Arctic necessitates the deployment of Autonomous Ice Mass Balance buoys (IMB's) capable of long-term, in situ data collection in both ice and open ocean. Seasonal IMB's (SIMB's) are free floating IMB's that allow data collection in thick ice, thin ice, during times of transition, and even open water. The newest generation of SIMB aims to increase the number of reliable IMB's in the Arctic by leveraging inexpensive commercial-grade instrumentation when combined with specially developed monitoring hardware. Monitoring tasks are handled by a custom, expandable data logger that provides low-cost flexibility for integrating a large range of instrumentation. The SIMB features ultrasonic sensors for direct measurement of both snow depth and ice thickness and a digital temperature chain (DTC) for temperature measurements every 2cm through both snow and ice. Air temperature and pressure, along with GPS data complete the Arctic picture. Additionally, the new SIMB is more compact to maximize deployment opportunities from multiple types of platforms.

  10. Chlorine-containing salts as water ice nucleating particles on Mars

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Santiago-Materese, D. L.; Iraci, L. T.; Clapham, M. E.; Chuang, P. Y.

    2018-03-01

    Water ice cloud formation on Mars largely is expected to occur on the most efficient ice nucleating particle available. Salts have been observed on the Martian surface and have been known to facilitate water cloud formation on Earth. We examined heterogeneous ice nucleation onto sodium chloride and sodium perchlorate substrates under Martian atmospheric conditions, in the range of 150 to 180 K and 10-7 to 10-5 Torr water partial pressure. Sub-155 K data for the critical saturation ratio (Scrit) suggests an exponential model best describes the temperature-dependence of nucleation onset of water ice for all substrates tested. While sodium chloride does not facilitate water ice nucleation more easily than bare silicon, sodium perchlorate does support depositional nucleation at lower saturation levels than other substrates shown and is comparable to smectite-rich clay in its ability to support cloud initiation. Perchlorates could nucleate water ice at partial pressures up to 40% lower than other substrates examined to date under Martian atmospheric conditions. These findings suggest air masses on Mars containing uplifted salts such as perchlorates could form water ice clouds at lower saturation ratios than in air masses absent similar particles.

  11. High Ice Water Content: DC-8 Aeronautics Campaign

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2015-09-10

    During the month of August, NASA’s DC-8 completed flights in Florida aimed at collecting data on high-altitude crystals for the High Ice Water Content (HIWC) mission. High ice water content can be found within large convective storms and can result in aircraft engines losing power or not functioning properly. Researchers will use the data to develop technology that can be used onboard commercial aircraft to avoid high ice water content conditions and provide a safer flight for passengers. This video gives an inside look at the HIWC mission, including research done in and around Hurricane Danny, as well as a look at the instruments being used onboard the research aircraft. Researchers and pilots onboard worked with satellite information from the ground to find regions of high ice water content within the convective systems.

  12. 21 CFR 1250.86 - Water for making ice.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Water for making ice. 1250.86 Section 1250.86 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED... SANITATION Sanitation Facilities and Conditions on Vessels § 1250.86 Water for making ice. Only potable water...

  13. 21 CFR 1250.86 - Water for making ice.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Water for making ice. 1250.86 Section 1250.86 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED... SANITATION Sanitation Facilities and Conditions on Vessels § 1250.86 Water for making ice. Only potable water...

  14. 21 CFR 1250.86 - Water for making ice.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Water for making ice. 1250.86 Section 1250.86 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED... SANITATION Sanitation Facilities and Conditions on Vessels § 1250.86 Water for making ice. Only potable water...

  15. Rapid Water Transport through Organic Layers on Ice.

    PubMed

    Kong, Xiangrui; Toubin, Céline; Habartova, Alena; Pluharova, Eva; Roeselova, Martina; Pettersson, Jan B C

    2018-05-31

    Processes involving atmospheric aerosol and cloud particles are affected by condensation of organic compounds that are omnipresent in the atmosphere. On ice particles, organic compounds with hydrophilic functional groups form hydrogen bonds with the ice and orient their hydrophobic groups away from the surface. The organic layer has been expected to constitute a barrier to gas uptake, but recent experimental studies suggest that the accommodation of water molecules on ice is only weakly affected by condensed short-chain alcohol layers. Here, we employ molecular dynamics simulations to study the water interactions with n-butanol covered ice at 200 K and show that the small effect of the condensed layer is due to efficient diffusion of water molecules along the surface plane while seeking appropriate sites to penetrate, followed by penetration driven by the combined attractive forces from butanol OH groups and water molecules within the ice. The water molecules that penetrate through the n-butanol layer become strongly bonded by approximately three hydrogen bonds at the butanol-ice interface. The obtained accommodation coefficient (0.81 ± 0.03) is in excellent agreement with results from previous environmental molecular beam experiments, leading to a picture where an adsorbed n-butanol layer does not alter the apparent accommodation coefficient but dramatically changes the detailed molecular dynamics and kinetics.

  16. Do Europa's Mountains Have Roots? Erosion of Topography at the Ice-Water Interface via the "Ice Pump"

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Goodman, J. C.

    2016-12-01

    Are topographic features on the surface of Europa and other icy worlds isostatically compensated by variations in shell thickness (Airy isostasy)? This is only possible if variations in shell thickness can remain stable over geologic time. Here we show that melting and freezing driven by the pressure dependence of the melting point of water - the "ice pump" - can rapidly erase topography at the ice/water interface. We consider ice pumps driven by both tidal action and buoyancy-driven flow. We first show that as tidal action drives the ocean up and down along a sloping interface, ice will be melted from areas where it's thickest and deposited where the ice is thinnest. We show that this process causes the ice interface topography to relax according to a simple "diffusion" linear partial differential equation. We estimate that a 10-km-wide topographic feature would be erased by the tidal ice pump in 3000 years if Europa's tidal current amplitude is 1 cm/s; however, this timescale is inversely proportional to the cube of the tidal velocity! Next, we consider an ice pump powered by ascent of meltwater along a sloping ice-water interface. We consider layer-averaged budgets for heat, mass, and momentum, along with turbulent mixing of the meltwater layer with underlying seawater via a Richardson number dependent entrainment process, and use these to estimate the thickness and mass flux of the meltwater layer. From this we estimate the rate of melting and freezing at the interface. These two ice pump processes combine with the glacial flow of warm basal ice to rapidly flatten out any variations in the height of the ice-water interface: Europa's ice/water interface may be perfectly flat! If so, topography at Europa's surface can only be supported by variations in density of the shell or the strength of the brittle surface ice.

  17. Thermodynamical effects accompanied freezing of two water layers separated by sea ice sheet

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bogorodsky, Petr; Marchenko, Aleksey

    2014-05-01

    The process of melt pond freezing is very important for generation of sea ice cover thermodynamic and mass balance during winterperiod. However, due to significant difficulties of field measurements the available data of model estimations still have no instrumental confirmation. In May 2009 the authors carried out laboratory experiment on freezing of limited water volume in the University Centre in Svalbard ice tank. In the course of experiment fresh water layer of 27.5 cm thickness at freezing point poured on the 24 cm sea ice layer was cooled during 50 hours at the temperature -10º C and then once again during 60 hours at -20º C. For revealing process typical characteristics the data of continuous measurements of temperature and salinity in different phases were compared with data of numerical computations obtained with thermodynamic model which was formulated in the frames of 1-D equation system (infinite extension of water freezing layer) and adapted to laboratory conditions. The known surprise of the experiment became proximity of calculated and measured estimates of process dynamics that confirmed the adequacy of the problem mathematical statement (excluding probably process finale stage). This effect can be explained by formation of cracks on the upper layer of ice at sharp decreases of air temperature, which temporary compensated hydrostatic pressure growth during freezing of closed water volume. Another compensated mechanism can be migration of brine through the lower layer of ice under influence of vertical pressure gradient and also rejection of gas dissolved in water which increased its compressibility. During 110 hours cooling thickness of water layer between ice layers reduced approximately to 2 cm. According to computations this layer is not chilled completely but keeps as thin brine interlayer within ice body whose thickness (about units of mm) is determined by temperature fluctuations of cooled surface. Nevertheless, despite good coincidence of

  18. Design, implementation and practice of JBEI-ICE: an open source biological part registry platform and tools.

    PubMed

    Ham, Timothy S; Dmytriv, Zinovii; Plahar, Hector; Chen, Joanna; Hillson, Nathan J; Keasling, Jay D

    2012-10-01

    The Joint BioEnergy Institute Inventory of Composable Elements (JBEI-ICEs) is an open source registry platform for managing information about biological parts. It is capable of recording information about 'legacy' parts, such as plasmids, microbial host strains and Arabidopsis seeds, as well as DNA parts in various assembly standards. ICE is built on the idea of a web of registries and thus provides strong support for distributed interconnected use. The information deposited in an ICE installation instance is accessible both via a web browser and through the web application programming interfaces, which allows automated access to parts via third-party programs. JBEI-ICE includes several useful web browser-based graphical applications for sequence annotation, manipulation and analysis that are also open source. As with open source software, users are encouraged to install, use and customize JBEI-ICE and its components for their particular purposes. As a web application programming interface, ICE provides well-developed parts storage functionality for other synthetic biology software projects. A public instance is available at public-registry.jbei.org, where users can try out features, upload parts or simply use it for their projects. The ICE software suite is available via Google Code, a hosting site for community-driven open source projects.

  19. Doping-induced disappearance of ice II from water's phase diagram

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shephard, Jacob J.; Slater, Ben; Harvey, Peter; Hart, Martin; Bull, Craig L.; Bramwell, Steven T.; Salzmann, Christoph G.

    2018-06-01

    Water and the many phases of ice display a plethora of complex physical properties and phase relationships1-4 that are of paramount importance in a range of settings including processes in Earth's hydrosphere, the geology of icy moons, industry and even the evolution of life. Well-known examples include the unusual behaviour of supercooled water2, the emergent ferroelectric ordering in ice films4 and the fact that the `ordinary' ice Ih floats on water. We report the intriguing observation that ice II, one of the high-pressure phases of ice, disappears in a selective fashion from water's phase diagram following the addition of small amounts of ammonium fluoride. This finding exposes the strict topologically constrained nature of the ice II hydrogen-bond network, which is not found for the competing phases. In analogy to the behaviour of frustrated magnets5, the presence of the exceptional ice II is argued to have a wider impact on water's phase diagram, potentially explaining its general tendency to display anomalous behaviour. Furthermore, the impurity-induced disappearance of ice II raises the prospect that specific dopants may not only be able to suppress certain phases but also induce the formation of new phases of ice in future studies.

  20. Limit regimes of ice formation in turbulent supercooled water.

    PubMed

    De Santi, Francesca; Olla, Piero

    2017-10-01

    A study of ice formation in stationary turbulent conditions is carried out in various limit regimes of crystal growth, supercooling, and ice entrainment at the water surface. Analytical expressions for the temperature, salinity, and ice concentration mean profiles are provided, and the role of fluctuations in ice production is numerically quantified. Lower bounds on the ratio of sensible heat flux to latent heat flux to the atmosphere are derived and their dependence on key parameters such as salt rejection in freezing and ice entrainment in the water column is elucidated.

  1. The Effects of Freezing, Melting and Partial Ice Cover on Gas Transport in Laboratory Seawater Experiments

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Loose, B.; McGillis, W.; Schlosser, P.; Perovich, D.; Takahashi, T.

    2008-12-01

    Sea ice physico-chemical processes affect gas dynamics, which may be relevant to polar ocean budgets of climatically-active gases. We used SF6 and O2 as inert gas tracers in a tank experiment to observe the transport of gases between water, ice and air during freezing/melting and partial ice cover. The results show that during ice growth, the rejection of O2 and SF6 was greater than the rejection of salt per unit of ambient concentration in seawater. Unconsolidated ice crystal growth produced an increase in dissolved O2 concentration, indicating that the water-air gradient may favor gas evasion during the early stages of sea-ice formation. Measurements of the gas transfer velocity (k), using SF6 and O2 during conditions of partial ice cover exceed the proportionality between the fraction of open water and k determined between 0% and 100% open water conditions. At 15% open water, k equals 35% of k during ice-free conditions, indicating the importance of under-ice turbulence for gas exchange. In our experiments most of this turbulence was produced by pumps installed for circulation of the water in the tank to avoid density stratification. Varying the turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) delivered to the water by these pumps produced a correspondent variation in k. Measurements of TKE using particle velocimetry suggest that turbulence in the ice-water boundary layer dominated the convection driven by heat loss through the open water, and the magnitude of net TKE production was similar to that measured beneath drifting ice in the field.

  2. Evidence for ice-ocean albedo feedback in the Arctic Ocean shifting to a seasonal ice zone.

    PubMed

    Kashiwase, Haruhiko; Ohshima, Kay I; Nihashi, Sohey; Eicken, Hajo

    2017-08-15

    Ice-albedo feedback due to the albedo contrast between water and ice is a major factor in seasonal sea ice retreat, and has received increasing attention with the Arctic Ocean shifting to a seasonal ice cover. However, quantitative evaluation of such feedbacks is still insufficient. Here we provide quantitative evidence that heat input through the open water fraction is the primary driver of seasonal and interannual variations in Arctic sea ice retreat. Analyses of satellite data (1979-2014) and a simplified ice-upper ocean coupled model reveal that divergent ice motion in the early melt season triggers large-scale feedback which subsequently amplifies summer sea ice anomalies. The magnitude of divergence controlling the feedback has doubled since 2000 due to a more mobile ice cover, which can partly explain the recent drastic ice reduction in the Arctic Ocean.

  3. Water, ice and mud: Lahars and lahar hazards at ice- and snow-clad volcanoes

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Waythomas, Christopher F.

    2014-01-01

    Large-volume lahars are significant hazards at ice and snow covered volcanoes. Hot eruptive products produced during explosive eruptions can generate a substantial volume of melt water that quickly evolves into highly mobile flows of ice, sediment and water. At present it is difficult to predict the size of lahars that can form at ice and snow covered volcanoes due to their complex flow character and behaviour. However, advances in experiments and numerical approaches are producing new conceptual models and new methods for hazard assessment. Eruption triggered lahars that are ice-dominated leave behind thin, almost unrecognizable sedimentary deposits, making them likely to be under-represented in the geological record.

  4. Ice crystallization in ultrafine water-salt aerosols: nucleation, ice-solution equilibrium, and internal structure.

    PubMed

    Hudait, Arpa; Molinero, Valeria

    2014-06-04

    Atmospheric aerosols have a strong influence on Earth's climate. Elucidating the physical state and internal structure of atmospheric aqueous aerosols is essential to predict their gas and water uptake, and the locus and rate of atmospherically important heterogeneous reactions. Ultrafine aerosols with sizes between 3 and 15 nm have been detected in large numbers in the troposphere and tropopause. Nanoscopic aerosols arising from bubble bursting of natural and artificial seawater have been identified in laboratory and field experiments. The internal structure and phase state of these aerosols, however, cannot yet be determined in experiments. Here we use molecular simulations to investigate the phase behavior and internal structure of liquid, vitrified, and crystallized water-salt ultrafine aerosols with radii from 2.5 to 9.5 nm and with up to 10% moles of ions. We find that both ice crystallization and vitrification of the nanodroplets lead to demixing of pure water from the solutions. Vitrification of aqueous nanodroplets yields nanodomains of pure low-density amorphous ice in coexistence with vitrified solute rich aqueous glass. The melting temperature of ice in the aerosols decreases monotonically with an increase of solute fraction and decrease of radius. The simulations reveal that nucleation of ice occurs homogeneously at the subsurface of the water-salt nanoparticles. Subsequent ice growth yields phase-segregated, internally mixed, aerosols with two phases in equilibrium: a concentrated water-salt amorphous mixture and a spherical cap-like ice nanophase. The surface of the crystallized aerosols is heterogeneous, with ice and solution exposed to the vapor. Free energy calculations indicate that as the concentration of salt in the particles, the advance of the crystallization, or the size of the particles increase, the stability of the spherical cap structure increases with respect to the alternative structure in which a core of ice is fully surrounded by

  5. Trapping of Methanol, Hydrogen Cyanide, and n-Hexane in Water Ice, above Its Transformation Temperature to the Crystalline Form

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Notesco, G.; Bar-Nun, A.

    1997-04-01

    HCN and n-C 6H 14were found experimentally to be trapped in water ice, when codeposited with water vapor on a cold plate, at 140 K and CH 3OH even at 160 K. At these temperatures at least part of the water ice is cystalline. These three gases have relatively high sublimation temperatures, whereas the gases studied earlier, Ar, Kr, Xe, CO, CH 4, and N 2, which have lower sublimination temperatures, are trapped only in amorphous water ice, up to ˜100 K. It seems that the major factor determining the efficiency of gas trapping by water ice, during codeposition of a gas-water vapor mixture on a cold plate, is the sublimation temperatures of the gases to be trapped. Those with a high sublimation temperature remain, during codeposition, longer in the pores of the water ice which are open to the surface, until they are covered by additional ice layers. Only methanol seems to form a clathrate hydrate, in agreement with the experimental results of D. Blake et al.(1991), Science254, 548-551), which points to the importance of the interaction of the gas molecules with the water molecules in the ice. Consequently, comets and icy satellites that were formed in the Jupiter-Saturn region and their subnebulae could trap CH 3OH, HCN, and heavy hydrocarbons, whereas comets and icy satellites that were formed in the Uranus-Neptune region, at the outskirts of the Saturnian subnebulae (Titan), and beyond the planets in the Kuiper belt could trap also gases having lower sublimation temperatures.

  6. Solubility of sodium chloride in superionic water ice

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hernandez, Jean-Alexis; Caracas, Razvan

    2017-04-01

    In icy planets, complex interactions are expected to occur at the interface between the rocky core and the icy mantle composed of mixtures based on water, methane, and ammonia [1, 2]. The hydration of the silicate layer produces salts (MgSO4, NaCl, KCl) that could mix with the ice, and change considerably its properties [3]. Here, we used first-principles molecular dynamics to investigate the stability and the properties of the binary system NaCl-H2O at the relevant thermodynamic conditions for planetary interiors up to ice giants. In these conditions, pure water ice undergoes several transitions that affect considerably its ionic conductivity and its elastic properties [4]. We calculated the Gibbs free energy of mixing along the NaCl-H2O binary by applying Boltzmann statistics to account for energy differences between configurations. We evaluated vibrational entropy from the vibrational spectra of the nuclei motion using the recently developed two phases thermodynamic memory function (2PT-MF) model for multicomponent systems [5, 6]. We show that the solubility of NaCl in water ice at 1600 K is less than 0.78 mol%. We find that salty ices present an extended superionic domain toward high pressures in comparison to pure water ice. Finally, we predict that the complete symmetrization of the hydrogen bonds (i.e. transition to ice X) occurs at higher pressure than in pure water ice, as observed in LiCl doped water ice at ambient temperature [7]. References: [1] M. R. Frank, C. E. Runge, H. P. Scott, S. J. Maglio, J. Olson, V. B. Prakapenka, G. Shen, PEPI 155 (2006) 152-162 [2] B. Journaux, I. Daniel, R. Caracas, G. Montagnac, H. Cardon, Icarus 226 (2013) 355-363 [3] S. Klotz, L. E. Bove, T. Strässle, T. C. Hansen, A. M. Saitta, Nature Materials 8 (2009) 405-409 [4] J. -A. Hernandez, R. Caracas, Phys. Rev. Lett. 117 (2016) 135503 [5] M. P. Desjarlais, Phys. Rev. E 88 (2013) 062145 [6] M. French, M. P. Desjarlais, R. Redmer, Phys. Rev. E 93 (2016) 022140 [7] L. E. Bove

  7. Is Water at the Graphite Interface Vapor-like or Ice-like?

    PubMed

    Qiu, Yuqing; Lupi, Laura; Molinero, Valeria

    2018-04-05

    Graphitic surfaces are the main component of soot, a major constituent of atmospheric aerosols. Experiments indicate that soots of different origins display a wide range of abilities to heterogeneously nucleate ice. The ability of pure graphite to nucleate ice in experiments, however, seems to be almost negligible. Nevertheless, molecular simulations with the monatomic water model mW with water-carbon interactions parameterized to reproduce the experimental contact angle of water on graphite predict that pure graphite nucleates ice. According to classical nucleation theory, the ability of a surface to nucleate ice is controlled by the binding free energy between ice immersed in liquid water and the surface. To establish whether the discrepancy in freezing efficiencies of graphite in mW simulations and experiments arises from the coarse resolution of the model or can be fixed by reparameterization, it is important to elucidate the contributions of the water-graphite, water-ice, and ice-water interfaces to the free energy, enthalpy, and entropy of binding for both water and the model. Here we use thermodynamic analysis and free energy calculations to determine these interfacial properties. We demonstrate that liquid water at the graphite interface is not ice-like or vapor-like: it has similar free energy, entropy, and enthalpy as water in the bulk. The thermodynamics of the water-graphite interface is well reproduced by the mW model. We find that the entropy of binding between graphite and ice is positive and dominated, in both experiments and simulations, by the favorable entropy of reducing the ice-water interface. Our analysis indicates that the discrepancy in freezing efficiencies of graphite in experiments and the simulations with mW arises from the inability of the model to simultaneously reproduce the contact angle of liquid water on graphite and the free energy of the ice-graphite interface. This transferability issue is intrinsic to the resolution of the

  8. Liquid Water Oceans in Ice Giants

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wiktorowicz, Sloane J.; Ingersoll, Andrew P.

    2007-01-01

    Aptly named, ice giants such as Uranus and Neptune contain significant amounts of water. While this water cannot be present near the cloud tops, it must be abundant in the deep interior. We investigate the likelihood of a liquid water ocean existing in the hydrogen-rich region between the cloud tops and deep interior. Starting from an assumed temperature at a given upper tropospheric pressure (the photosphere), we follow a moist adiabat downward. The mixing ratio of water to hydrogen in the gas phase is small in the photosphere and increases with depth. The mixing ratio in the condensed phase is near unity in the photosphere and decreases with depth; this gives two possible outcomes. If at some pressure level the mixing ratio of water in the gas phase is equal to that in the deep interior, then that level is the cloud base. The gas below the cloud base has constant mixing ratio. Alternately, if the mixing ratio of water in the condensed phase reaches that in the deep interior, then the surface of a liquid ocean will occur. Below this ocean surface, the mixing ratio of water will be constant. A cloud base occurs when the photospheric temperature is high. For a family of ice giants with different photospheric temperatures, the cooler ice giants will have warmer cloud bases. For an ice giant with a cool enough photospheric temperature, the cloud base will exist at the critical temperature. For still cooler ice giants, ocean surfaces will result. A high mixing ratio of water in the deep interior favors a liquid ocean. We find that Neptune is both too warm (photospheric temperature too high) and too dry (mixing ratio of water in the deep interior too low) for liquid oceans to exist at present. To have a liquid ocean, Neptune s deep interior water to gas ratio would have to be higher than current models allow, and the density at 19 kbar would have to be approx. equal to 0.8 g/cu cm. Such a high density is inconsistent with gravitational data obtained during the Voyager

  9. Possible Sea Ice Impacts on Oceanic Deep Convection

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Parkinson, C. L.

    1984-01-01

    Many regions of the world ocean known or suspected to have deep convection are sea-ice covered for at least a portion of the annual cycle. As this suggests that sea ice might have some impact on generating or maintaining this phenomenon, several mechanisms by which sea ice could exert an influence are presented in the following paragraphs. Sea ice formation could be a direct causal factor in deep convection by providing the surface density increase necessary to initiate the convective overturning. As sea ice forms, either by ice accretion or by in situ ice formation in open water or in lead areas between ice floes, salt is rejected to the underlying water. This increases the water salinity, thereby increasing water density in the mixed layer under the ice. A sufficient increase in density will lead to mixing with deeper waters, and perhaps to deep convection or even bottom water formation. Observations are needed to establish whether this process is actually occurring; it is most likely in regions with extensive ice formation and a relatively unstable oceanic density structure.

  10. Flow of ices in the Ammonia-Water System

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Durham, W. B.; Kirby, S. H.; Stern, L. A.

    1993-01-01

    We have fabricated in the laboratory and subsequently deformed crystalline hydrates and partial melts of the water-rich end of the NH3-H2O system, with the aim of improving our understanding of physical processes occurring in icy moons of the outer solar system. Deformation experiments were carried out at constant strain rate. The range of experimental variables are given. Phase relationships in the NH3-H2O system indicate that water ice and ammonia dihydrate, NH3-2H2O, are the stable phases under our experiment conditions. X-ray diffraction of our samples usually revealed these as the dominant phases, but we have also observed an amorphous phase (in unpressurized samples only) and occasionally significant ammonia monohydrate, NH3-H2O. The onset of partial melting at the peritectic temperature at about 176 K appeared as a sharp transition in strength observed in samples of x(sub NH3) = 0.05 and 0.01, the effect of melt was less pronounced. For any given water ice + dihydrate alloy in the subsolidus region, we observed one rheological law over the entire temperature range from 175 K to about 140 K. Below 140 K, a shear instability similar to that occurring in pure water ice under the same conditions limited our ability to measure ductile flow. The rheological laws for the several alloys vary systematically from that of pure ice to that of dihydrate. Pure dihydrate is about 4 orders of magnitude less viscous than water ice just below the peritectic temperature, but because of a very pronounced temperature dependence in dihydrate (100 kJ/mol versus 43 kJ/mol for water ice) the viscosity of dihydrate equals or exceeds that of water ice at T less than 140 K. The large variation in viscosity of dihydrate with relatively small changes in temperature may be helpful in explaining the rich variety of tectonic and volcanic features seen on the surfaces of icy moons in the outer solar system.

  11. Water ice grains in comet C/2013 US10 (Catalina)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Protopapa, Silvia; Kelley, Michael S. P.; Yang, Bin; Woodward, Charles E.; Sunshine, Jessica M.

    2017-10-01

    Knowledge of the the physical properties of water ice in cometary nuclei is critical in determining how the Solar System was formed. While it is difficult to directly study the properties of water ice in comet nuclei, we can study comet interiors through their comae. Cometary activity makes the interiors of these objects available for characterization. However, the properties (grain size, abundance, purity, chemical state) of water-ice grains detected in the coma do not necessarily represent the characteristics of the water ice on the surface and/or in the interior of the nucleus. This is due to the potential physical and chemical evolution of the emitted material. Once in the coma, water-ice grains are heated by sunlight, and if temperatures are warm enough, they sublime. In this case, their sizes and potentially their ice-to-dust fractions are reduced.We present IRTF/SpeX measurements of the Oort cloud comet C/2013 US10 (Catalina), which reached perihelion in Nov 2015 at a heliocentric distance Rh=0.822 AU. Observations of US10 were acquired on UT 2014-08-13, 2016-01-12, and 2016-08-13 (Rh=5.9, 1.3, and 3.9 AU). This set of measurements, spanning a broad range in Rh, are rare and fundamental for estimating how ice grains evolve in the coma. The spectrum obtained close to perihelion is featureless and red sloped, which is consistent with a dust-dominated coma. Conversely, the spectra acquired on August 2014 and 2016 display neutral slopes and absorption bands at 1.5 and 2.0 μm, consistent with the presence of water-ice grains. These variations in water ice with heliocentric distance are correlated with sublimation rates. Additionally, the measurements obtained at 5.8 AU and 3.9 AU are nearly identical, suggesting that water-ice grains, once in the coma, do not sublime significantly. Therefore, the properties of these long-lived water-ice grains may represent their state in the nucleus or immediately after insertion into the coma. We will present radiative

  12. Dynamics of ice nucleation on water repellent surfaces.

    PubMed

    Alizadeh, Azar; Yamada, Masako; Li, Ri; Shang, Wen; Otta, Shourya; Zhong, Sheng; Ge, Liehui; Dhinojwala, Ali; Conway, Ken R; Bahadur, Vaibhav; Vinciquerra, A Joseph; Stephens, Brian; Blohm, Margaret L

    2012-02-14

    Prevention of ice accretion and adhesion on surfaces is relevant to many applications, leading to improved operation safety, increased energy efficiency, and cost reduction. Development of passive nonicing coatings is highly desirable, since current antiicing strategies are energy and cost intensive. Superhydrophobicity has been proposed as a lead passive nonicing strategy, yet the exact mechanism of delayed icing on these surfaces is not clearly understood. In this work, we present an in-depth analysis of ice formation dynamics upon water droplet impact on surfaces with different wettabilities. We experimentally demonstrate that ice nucleation under low-humidity conditions can be delayed through control of surface chemistry and texture. Combining infrared (IR) thermometry and high-speed photography, we observe that the reduction of water-surface contact area on superhydrophobic surfaces plays a dual role in delaying nucleation: first by reducing heat transfer and second by reducing the probability of heterogeneous nucleation at the water-substrate interface. This work also includes an analysis (based on classical nucleation theory) to estimate various homogeneous and heterogeneous nucleation rates in icing situations. The key finding is that ice nucleation delay on superhydrophobic surfaces is more prominent at moderate degrees of supercooling, while closer to the homogeneous nucleation temperature, bulk and air-water interface nucleation effects become equally important. The study presented here offers a comprehensive perspective on the efficacy of textured surfaces for nonicing applications.

  13. connecting the dots between Greenland ice sheet surface melting and ice flow dynamics (Invited)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Box, J. E.; Colgan, W. T.; Fettweis, X.; Phillips, T. P.; Stober, M.

    2013-12-01

    This presentation is of a 'unified theory' in glaciology that first identifies surface albedo as a key factor explaining total ice sheet mass balance and then surveys a mechanistic self-reinforcing interaction between melt water and ice flow dynamics. The theory is applied in a near-real time total Greenland mass balance retrieval based on surface albedo, a powerful integrator of the competing effects of accumulation and ablation. New snowfall reduces sunlight absorption and increases meltwater retention. Melting amplifies absorbed sunlight through thermal metamorphism and bare ice expansion in space and time. By ';following the melt'; we reveal mechanisms linking existing science into a unified theory. Increasing meltwater softens the ice sheet in three ways: 1.) sensible heating given the water temperature exceeds that of the ice sheet interior; 2.) Some infiltrating water refreezes, transferring latent heat to the ice; 3.) Friction from water turbulence heats the ice. It has been shown that for a point on the ice sheet, basal lubrication increases ice flow speed to a time when an efficient sub-glacial drainage network develops that reduces this effect. Yet, with an increasing melt duration the point where the ice sheet glides on a wet bed increases inland to a larger area. This effect draws down the ice surface elevation, contributing to the ';elevation feedback'. In a perpetual warming scenario, the elevation feedback ultimately leads to ice sheet loss reversible only through much slower ice sheet growth in an ice age environment. As the inland ice sheet accelerates, the horizontal extension pulls cracks and crevasses open, trapping more sunlight, amplifying the effect of melt accelerated ice. As the bare ice area increases, the direct sun-exposed crevassed and infiltration area increases further allowing the ice warming process to occur more broadly. Considering hydrofracture [a.k.a. hydrofracking]; surface meltwater fills cracks, attacking the ice integrity

  14. Proton dynamics and the phase diagram of dense water ice.

    PubMed

    Hernandez, J-A; Caracas, R

    2018-06-07

    All the different phases of water ice between 2 GPa and several megabars are based on a single body-centered cubic sub-lattice of oxygen atoms. They differ only by the behavior of the hydrogen atoms. In this study, we investigate the dynamics of the H atoms at high pressures and temperatures in water ice from first-principles molecular dynamics simulations. We provide a detailed analysis of the O-H⋯O bonding dynamics over the entire stability domain of the body-centered cubic (bcc) water ices and compute transport properties and vibrational density-of-states. We report the first ab initio evidence for a plastic phase of water and we propose a coherent phase diagram for bcc water ices compatible with the two groups of melting curves and with the multiple anomalies reported in ice VII around 15 GPa.

  15. Martian North Polar Water-Ice Clouds During the Viking Era

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tamppari, L. K.; Bass, D. S.

    2000-01-01

    The Viking Orbiters determined that the surface of Mars' northern residual cap consists of water ice. Observed atmospheric water vapor abundances in the equatorial regions have been related to seasonal exchange between reservoirs such as the polar caps, the regolith and between different phases in the atmosphere. Kahn modeled the physical characteristics of ice hazes seen in Viking Orbiter imaging limb data, hypothesizing that ice hazes provide a method for scavenging water vapor from the atmosphere and accumulating it into ice particles. Given that Jakosky found that these particles had sizes such that fallout times were of order one Martian sol, these water-ice hazes provided a method for returning more water to the regolith than that provided by adsorption alone. These hazes could also explain the rapid hemispheric decrease in atmospheric water in late northern summer as well as the increase during the following early spring. A similar comparison of water vapor abundance versus polar cap brightness has been done for the north polar region. They have shown that water vapor decreases steadily between L(sub s) = 100-150 deg while polar cap albedo increases during the same time frame. As a result, they suggested that late summer water-ice deposition onto the ice cap may be the cause of the cap brightening. This deposition could be due to adsorption directly onto the cap surface or to snowfall. Thus, an examination of north polar waterice clouds could lend insight into the fate of the water vapor during this time period. Additional information is contained in the original extended abstract.

  16. Isolating the Liquid Cloud Response to Recent Arctic Sea Ice Variability Using Spaceborne Lidar Observations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Morrison, A. L.; Kay, J. E.; Chepfer, H.; Guzman, R.; Yettella, V.

    2018-01-01

    While the radiative influence of clouds on Arctic sea ice is known, the influence of sea ice cover on Arctic clouds is challenging to detect, separate from atmospheric circulation, and attribute to human activities. Providing observational constraints on the two-way relationship between sea ice cover and Arctic clouds is important for predicting the rate of future sea ice loss. Here we use 8 years of CALIPSO (Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations) spaceborne lidar observations from 2008 to 2015 to analyze Arctic cloud profiles over sea ice and over open water. Using a novel surface mask to restrict our analysis to where sea ice concentration varies, we isolate the influence of sea ice cover on Arctic Ocean clouds. The study focuses on clouds containing liquid water because liquid-containing clouds are the most important cloud type for radiative fluxes and therefore for sea ice melt and growth. Summer is the only season with no observed cloud response to sea ice cover variability: liquid cloud profiles are nearly identical over sea ice and over open water. These results suggest that shortwave summer cloud feedbacks do not slow long-term summer sea ice loss. In contrast, more liquid clouds are observed over open water than over sea ice in the winter, spring, and fall in the 8 year mean and in each individual year. Observed fall sea ice loss cannot be explained by natural variability alone, which suggests that observed increases in fall Arctic cloud cover over newly open water are linked to human activities.

  17. Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Ionization Energy Lowering in Water Ices

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gudipati, Murthy S.; Allamandola, Louis J.

    2004-01-01

    In studying various interstellar and solar system ice analogs, we have recently found that upon vacuum ultraviolet photolysis, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) frozen in water ice at low temperatures are easily ionized and indefinitely stabilized as trapped ions (Gudipati; Gudipati & Allamandola). Here we report the first experimental study that shows that PAH ionization energy is significantly lowered in PAH/H2O ices, in agreement with recent theoretical work (Woon & Park). The ionization energy (IE) of the PAH studied here, quaterrylene (C40H20, IE = 6.11 eV), is lowered by up to 2.11 eV in water ice. PAH ionization energy reduction in low-temperature water ice substantially expands the astronomical regions in which trapped ions and electrons may be important. This reduction in ionization energy should also hold for other types of trapped species in waterrich interstellar, circumstellar, and solar system ices. Subject headings: ISM: clouds - methods: laboratory - molecular processes - radiation mechanisms: nonthermal -ultraviolet: ISM - ultraviolet: solar system

  18. Experimental evidence for superionic water ice using shock compression

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Millot, Marius; Hamel, Sebastien; Rygg, J. Ryan; Celliers, Peter M.; Collins, Gilbert W.; Coppari, Federica; Fratanduono, Dayne E.; Jeanloz, Raymond; Swift, Damian C.; Eggert, Jon H.

    2018-03-01

    In stark contrast to common ice, Ih, water ice at planetary interior conditions has been predicted to become superionic with fast-diffusing (that is, liquid-like) hydrogen ions moving within a solid lattice of oxygen. Likely to constitute a large fraction of icy giant planets, this extraordinary phase has not been observed in the laboratory. Here, we report laser-driven shock-compression experiments on water ice VII. Using time-resolved optical pyrometry and laser velocimetry measurements as well as supporting density functional theory-molecular dynamics (DFT-MD) simulations, we document the shock equation of state of H2O to unprecedented extreme conditions and unravel thermodynamic signatures showing that ice melts near 5,000 K at 190 GPa. Optical reflectivity and absorption measurements also demonstrate the low electronic conductivity of ice, which, combined with previous measurements of the total electrical conductivity under reverberating shock compression, provides experimental evidence for superionic conduction in water ice at planetary interior conditions, verifying a 30-year-old prediction.

  19. The discrimination of sea ice types using SAR backscatter statistics

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Shuchman, Robert A.; Wackerman, Christopher C.; Maffett, Andrew L.; Onstott, Robert G.; Sutherland, Laura L.

    1989-01-01

    X-band (HH) synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data of sea ice collected during the Marginal Ice Zone Experiment in March and April of 1987 was statistically analyzed with respect to discriminating open water, first-year ice, multiyear ice, and Odden. Odden are large expanses of nilas ice that rapidly form in the Greenland Sea and transform into pancake ice. A first-order statistical analysis indicated that mean versus variance can segment out open water and first-year ice, and skewness versus modified skewness can segment the Odden and multilayer categories. In additions to first-order statistics, a model has been generated for the distribution function of the SAR ice data. Segmentation of ice types was also attempted using textural measurements. In this case, the general co-occurency matrix was evaluated. The textural method did not generate better results than the first-order statistical approach.

  20. Dynamics of coupled ice-ocean system in the marginal ice zone: Study of the mesoscale processes and of constitutive equations for sea ice

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hakkinen, S.

    1984-01-01

    This study is aimed at the modelling of mesoscale processed such as up/downwelling and ice edge eddies in the marginal ice zones. A 2-dimensional coupled ice-ocean model is used for the study. The ice model is coupled to the reduced gravity ocean model (f-plane) through interfacial stresses. The constitutive equations of the sea ice are formulated on the basis of the Reiner-Rivlin theory. The internal ice stresses are important only at high ice concentrations (90-100%), otherwise the ice motion is essentially free drift, where the air-ice stress is balanced by the ice-water stress. The model was tested by studying the upwelling dynamics. Winds parallel to the ice edge with the ice on the right produce upwilling because the air-ice momentum flux is much greater that air-ocean momentum flux, and thus the Ekman transport is bigger under the ice than in the open water. The upwelling simulation was extended to include temporally varying forcing, which was chosen to vary sinusoidally with a 4 day period. This forcing resembles successive cyclone passings. In the model with a thin oceanic upper layer, ice bands were formed.

  1. Modeling the basal melting and marine ice accretion of the Amery Ice Shelf

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Galton-Fenzi, B. K.; Hunter, J. R.; Coleman, R.; Marsland, S. J.; Warner, R. C.

    2012-09-01

    The basal mass balance of the Amery Ice Shelf (AIS) in East Antarctica is investigated using a numerical ocean model. The main improvements of this model over previous studies are the inclusion of frazil formation and dynamics, tides and the use of the latest estimate of the sub-ice-shelf cavity geometry. The model produces a net basal melt rate of 45.6 Gt year-1 (0.74 m ice year-1) which is in good agreement with reviewed observations. The melting at the base of the ice shelf is primarily due to interaction with High Salinity Shelf Water created from the surface sea-ice formation in winter. The temperature difference between the coldest waters created in the open ocean and the in situ freezing point of ocean water in contact with the deepest part of the AIS drives a melt rate that can exceed 30 m of ice year-1. The inclusion of frazil dynamics is shown to be important for both melting and marine ice accretion (refreezing). Frazil initially forms in the supercooled water layer adjacent to the base of the ice shelf. The net accretion of marine ice is 5.3 Gt year-1, comprised of 3.7 Gt year-1 of frazil accretion and 1.6 Gt year-1 of direct basal refreezing.

  2. The role of water ice clouds in the Martian hydrologic cycle

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    James, Philip B.

    1990-01-01

    A one-dimensional model for the seasonal cycle of water on Mars has been used to investigate the direction of the net annual transport of water on the planet and to study the possible role of water ice clouds, which are included as an independent phase in addition to ground ice and water vapor, in the cycle. The calculated seasonal and spatial patterns of occurrence of water ice clouds are qualitatively similar to the observed polar hoods, suggesting that these polar clouds are, in fact, an important component of water cycle. A residual dry ice in the south acts as a cold trap which, in the absence of sources other than the caps, will ultimately attract the water ice from the north cap; however, in the presence of a source of water in northern midlatitudes during spring, it is possible that the observed distribution of vapor and ice can be in a steady state even if a residual CO2 cap is a permanent feature of the system.

  3. Separations on water-ice. Final report

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Dasgupta, P.K.

    1998-07-01

    This report focuses on processes to separate water frozen into ice. Research topics include the following: normal phase columnar chromatography; electrophoresis in a planar format; and zone melting type separations on a solid column of ice. Attempts were made to dope the emulsion with {beta}-cyclodextrin in order to separate commercially important chiral drugs such as Inderal.

  4. Ice dynamics of Heinrich events: Insights and implications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Alley, R. B.; Parizek, B. R.; Anandakrishnan, S.

    2017-12-01

    Physical understanding of ice flow provides important constraints on Heinrich (H) events, which in turn provide lessons for ice dynamics and future sea-level change. Iceberg-rafted debris (IRD), the defining feature of H events, is a complex indicator; however, in cold climates with extensive marine-ending ice, increased IRD flux records ice-shelf loss. Ice shelves fed primarily by inflow from grounded ice experience net basal melting, giving sub-ice-sedimentation rather than open-ocean IRD. Ice-shelf loss has been observed recently in response to atmospheric warming increasing surface meltwater that wedged open crevasses (Larsen B), but also by break-off following thinning from warming of waters reaching the grounding line (Jakobshavn). The H events consistently occurred during cold times resulting from reduced North Atlantic overturning circulation ("conveyor"), but as argued by Marcott et al. (PNAS 2011), this was accompanied by delayed warming at grounding-line depths of the Hudson Strait ice stream, the source of the Heinrich layers, implicating oceanic control. As shown in a rich literature, additional considerations involving thermal state of the ice-stream bed, isostasy and probably other processes influenced why some reduced-conveyor events triggered H-events while others did not. Ice shelves, including the inferred Hudson Strait ice shelf, typically exist in high-salinity, cold waters produced by brine rejection from sea-ice formation, which are the coldest abundant waters in the world ocean. Thus, almost any change in air or ocean temperature, winds or currents can remove ice shelves, because "replacement" water masses are typically warmer. And, because ice shelves almost invariably slow flow of non-floating ice into the ocean, climatic perturbations to regions with ice shelves typically lead to sea-level rise, with important implications.

  5. Variations in the amount of water ice on Ceres' surface suggest a seasonal water cycle.

    PubMed

    Raponi, Andrea; De Sanctis, Maria Cristina; Frigeri, Alessandro; Ammannito, Eleonora; Ciarniello, Mauro; Formisano, Michelangelo; Combe, Jean-Philippe; Magni, Gianfranco; Tosi, Federico; Carrozzo, Filippo Giacomo; Fonte, Sergio; Giardino, Marco; Joy, Steven P; Polanskey, Carol A; Rayman, Marc D; Capaccioni, Fabrizio; Capria, Maria Teresa; Longobardo, Andrea; Palomba, Ernesto; Zambon, Francesca; Raymond, Carol A; Russell, Christopher T

    2018-03-01

    The dwarf planet Ceres is known to host a considerable amount of water in its interior, and areas of water ice were detected by the Dawn spacecraft on its surface. Moreover, sporadic water and hydroxyl emissions have been observed from space telescopes. We report the detection of water ice in a mid-latitude crater and its unexpected variation with time. The Dawn spectrometer data show a change of water ice signatures over a period of 6 months, which is well modeled as ~2-km 2 increase of water ice. The observed increase, coupled with Ceres' orbital parameters, points to an ongoing process that seems correlated with solar flux. The reported variation on Ceres' surface indicates that this body is chemically and physically active at the present time.

  6. Ice Cloud Properties in Ice-Over-Water Cloud Systems Using TRMM VIRS and TMI Data

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Minnis, Patrick; Huang, Jianping; Lin, Bing; Yi, Yuhong; Arduini, Robert F.; Fan, Tai-Fang; Ayers, J. Kirk; Mace, Gerald G.

    2007-01-01

    A multi-layered cloud retrieval system (MCRS) is updated and used to estimate ice water path in maritime ice-over-water clouds using Visible and Infrared Scanner (VIRS) and TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI) measurements from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission spacecraft between January and August 1998. Lookup tables of top-of-atmosphere 0.65- m reflectance are developed for ice-over-water cloud systems using radiative transfer calculations with various combinations of ice-over-water cloud layers. The liquid and ice water paths, LWP and IWP, respectively, are determined with the MCRS using these lookup tables with a combination of microwave (MW), visible (VIS), and infrared (IR) data. LWP, determined directly from the TMI MW data, is used to define the lower-level cloud properties to select the proper lookup table. The properties of the upper-level ice clouds, such as optical depth and effective size, are then derived using the Visible Infrared Solar-infrared Split-window Technique (VISST), which matches the VIRS IR, 3.9- m, and VIS data to the multilayer-cloud lookup table reflectances and a set of emittance parameterizations. Initial comparisons with surface-based radar retrievals suggest that this enhanced MCRS can significantly improve the accuracy and decrease the IWP in overlapped clouds by 42% and 13% compared to using the single-layer VISST and an earlier simplified MW-VIS-IR (MVI) differencing method, respectively, for ice-over-water cloud systems. The tropical distribution of ice-over-water clouds is the same as derived earlier from combined TMI and VIRS data, but the new values of IWP and optical depth are slightly larger than the older MVI values, and exceed those of single-layered layered clouds by 7% and 11%, respectively. The mean IWP from the MCRS is 8-14% greater than that retrieved from radar retrievals of overlapped clouds over two surface sites and the standard deviations of the differences are similar to those for single-layered clouds. Examples

  7. An integrated approach to the remote sensing of floating ice

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Campbell, W. J.; Ramseier, R. O.; Weeks, W. F.; Gloersen, P.

    1976-01-01

    Review article on remote sensing applications to glaciology. Ice parameters sensed include: ice cover vs open water, ice thickness, distribution and morphology of ice formations, vertical resolution of ice thickness, ice salinity (percolation and drainage of brine; flushing of ice body with fresh water), first-year ice and multiyear ice, ice growth rate and surface heat flux, divergence of ice packs, snow cover masking ice, behavior of ice shelves, icebergs, lake ice and river ice; time changes. Sensing techniques discussed include: satellite photographic surveys, thermal IR, passive and active microwave studies, microwave radiometry, microwave scatterometry, side-looking radar, and synthetic aperture radar. Remote sensing of large aquatic mammals and operational ice forecasting are also discussed.

  8. Antarctic krill under sea ice: elevated abundance in a narrow band just south of ice edge.

    PubMed

    Brierley, Andrew S; Fernandes, Paul G; Brandon, Mark A; Armstrong, Frederick; Millard, Nicholas W; McPhail, Steven D; Stevenson, Peter; Pebody, Miles; Perrett, James; Squires, Mark; Bone, Douglas G; Griffiths, Gwyn

    2002-03-08

    We surveyed Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) under sea ice using the autonomous underwater vehicle Autosub-2. Krill were concentrated within a band under ice between 1 and 13 kilometers south of the ice edge. Within this band, krill densities were fivefold greater than that of open water. The under-ice environment has long been considered an important habitat for krill, but sampling difficulties have previously prevented direct observations under ice over the scale necessary for robust krill density estimation. Autosub-2 enabled us to make continuous high-resolution measurements of krill density under ice reaching 27 kilometers beyond the ice edge.

  9. The EUMETSAT sea ice concentration climate data record

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tonboe, Rasmus T.; Eastwood, Steinar; Lavergne, Thomas; Sørensen, Atle M.; Rathmann, Nicholas; Dybkjær, Gorm; Toudal Pedersen, Leif; Høyer, Jacob L.; Kern, Stefan

    2016-09-01

    An Arctic and Antarctic sea ice area and extent dataset has been generated by EUMETSAT's Ocean and Sea Ice Satellite Application Facility (OSISAF) using the record of microwave radiometer data from NASA's Nimbus 7 Scanning Multichannel Microwave radiometer (SMMR) and the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I) and Special Sensor Microwave Imager and Sounder (SSMIS) satellite sensors. The dataset covers the period from October 1978 to April 2015 and updates and further developments are planned for the next phase of the project. The methodology for computing the sea ice concentration uses (1) numerical weather prediction (NWP) data input to a radiative transfer model for reduction of the impact of weather conditions on the measured brightness temperatures; (2) dynamical algorithm tie points to mitigate trends in residual atmospheric, sea ice, and water emission characteristics and inter-sensor differences/biases; and (3) a hybrid sea ice concentration algorithm using the Bristol algorithm over ice and the Bootstrap algorithm in frequency mode over open water. A new sea ice concentration uncertainty algorithm has been developed to estimate the spatial and temporal variability in sea ice concentration retrieval accuracy. A comparison to US National Ice Center sea ice charts from the Arctic and the Antarctic shows that ice concentrations are higher in the ice charts than estimated from the radiometer data at intermediate sea ice concentrations between open water and 100 % ice. The sea ice concentration climate data record is available for download at www.osi-saf.org, including documentation.

  10. Implications of fractured Arctic perennial ice cover on thermodynamic and dynamic sea ice processes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Asplin, Matthew G.; Scharien, Randall; Else, Brent; Howell, Stephen; Barber, David G.; Papakyriakou, Tim; Prinsenberg, Simon

    2014-04-01

    Decline of the Arctic summer minimum sea ice extent is characterized by large expanses of open water in the Siberian, Laptev, Chukchi, and Beaufort Seas, and introduces large fetch distances in the Arctic Ocean. Long waves can propagate deep into the pack ice, thereby causing flexural swell and failure of the sea ice. This process shifts the floe size diameter distribution smaller, increases floe surface area, and thereby affects sea ice dynamic and thermodynamic processes. The results of Radarsat-2 imagery analysis show that a flexural fracture event which occurred in the Beaufort Sea region on 6 September 2009 affected ˜40,000 km2. Open water fractional area in the area affected initially decreased from 3.7% to 2.7%, but later increased to ˜20% following wind-forced divergence of the ice pack. Energy available for lateral melting was assessed by estimating the change in energy entrainment from longwave and shortwave radiation in the mixed-layer of the ocean following flexural fracture. 11.54 MJ m-2 of additional energy for lateral melting of ice floes was identified in affected areas. The impact of this process in future Arctic sea ice melt seasons was assessed using estimations of earlier occurrences of fracture during the melt season, and is discussed in context with ocean heat fluxes, atmospheric mixing of the ocean mixed layer, and declining sea ice cover. We conclude that this process is an important positive feedback to Arctic sea ice loss, and timing of initiation is critical in how it affects sea ice thermodynamic and dynamic processes.

  11. Permittivity of ice and water at millimeter wavelengths

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Blue, M. D.

    1980-01-01

    Measurements of reflectivity of water and ice at 100 GHz, 140 GHz, and 180 GHz are reported. Measurements on water covered the temperature range 0 C to 50 C. No anomalies in the dielectric properties of water due to the presence of either salts or organic matter were found. The reflectivity of water and its temperature dependence are consistent with recent dielectric property models derived from data at other wavelengths. The index of refraction of fresh ice is constant at 1.78 throughout this regions.

  12. Impact of lengthening open water season on food security in Alaska coastal communities: Global impacts may outweigh local "frontline" effects

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rolph, R.; Mahoney, A. R.

    2015-12-01

    Using ice concentration data from the Alaska Sea Ice Atlas from 1953-2013 for selected communities in Alaska, we find a consistent trend toward later freeze up and earlier breakup, leading a lengthened open water period. Such changes are often considered to bring a variety of "frontline" local impacts to Arctic coastal communities such as increased rates of coastal erosion. However, direct consequences of these changes to local food security (e.g. through impacts on subsistence activities and marine transport of goods) may be outweighed at least in the short term by the effects of large scale Arctic sea ice change coupled with global oil markets. For example, a later freeze-up might delay local hunters' transition from boats to snow-machines, but whether this trend will affect hunting success, especially in the next few years, is uncertain. Likewise, the magnitude of change in open water season length is unlikely to be sufficient to increase the frequency with which communities are served by barges. However, an expanding open water season throughout the Arctic has implications for the global economy, which can have indirect effects on local communities. In the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas, where rapid sea ice change has been accompanied by increased interest in oil and gas development, the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management currently requires drilling operations to cease 38 days prior to freeze up. Taking this into account, the lengthening open water season has effectively extended the drilling season for oil companies by 184% since the 1950s. If oil development goes ahead, local communities will likely experience a range of indirect impacts on food security due to increased vessel traffic and demand on infrastructure coupled with changes in local economies and employment opportunities. Increased likelihood of an oil spill in coastal waters also poses a significant threat to local food security. Thus, while Arctic coastal communities are already experiencing

  13. Automated detection of Martian water ice clouds: the Valles Marineris

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ogohara, Kazunori; Munetomo, Takafumi; Hatanaka, Yuji; Okumura, Susumu

    2016-10-01

    We need to extract water ice clouds from the large number of Mars images in order to reveal spatial and temporal variations of water ice cloud occurrence and to meteorologically understand climatology of water ice clouds. However, visible images observed by Mars orbiters for several years are too many to visually inspect each of them even though the inspection was limited to one region. Therefore, an automated detection algorithm of Martian water ice clouds is necessary for collecting ice cloud images efficiently. In addition, it may visualize new aspects of spatial and temporal variations of water ice clouds that we have never been aware. We present a method for automatically evaluating the presence of Martian water ice clouds using difference images and cross-correlation distributions calculated from blue band images of the Valles Marineris obtained by the Mars Orbiter Camera onboard the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS/MOC). We derived one subtracted image and one cross-correlation distribution from two reflectance images. The difference between the maximum and the average, variance, kurtosis, and skewness of the subtracted image were calculated. Those of the cross-correlation distribution were also calculated. These eight statistics were used as feature vectors for training Support Vector Machine, and its generalization ability was tested using 10-fold cross-validation. F-measure and accuracy tended to be approximately 0.8 if the maximum in the normalized reflectance and the difference of the maximum and the average in the cross-correlation were chosen as features. In the process of the development of the detection algorithm, we found many cases where the Valles Marineris became clearly brighter than adjacent areas in the blue band. It is at present unclear whether the bright Valles Marineris means the occurrence of water ice clouds inside the Valles Marineris or not. Therefore, subtracted images showing the bright Valles Marineris were excluded from the detection of

  14. Two moment dust and water ice in the MarsWRF GCM

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lee, Christopher; Richardson, Mark I.; Newman, Claire E.; Mischna, Michael A.

    2016-10-01

    A new two moment dust and water ice microphysics scheme has been developed for the MarsWRF General Circulation Model based on the Morrison and Gettelman (2008) scheme, and includes temperature dependent nucleation processes and energetically constrained condensation and evaporation. Dust consumed in the formation of water ice is also tracked by the model.The two moment dust scheme simulates dust particles in the Martian atmosphere using a Gamma distribution with fixed radius for lifted particles. Within the atmosphere the particle distribution is advected and sedimented within the two moment framework, obviating the requirement for lossy conversion between the continuous Gamma distribution and discritized bins found in some Mars microphysics schemes. Water ice is simulated using the same Gamma distribution and advected and sedimented in the same way. Water ice nucleation occurs heterogeneously onto dust particles with temperature dependent contact parameters (e.g. Trainer et al., 2009) and condensation and evaporation follows energetic constraints (e.g. Pruppacher and Klett, 1980; Montmessin et al., 2002) allowing water ice particles to grow in size where necessary. Dust particles are tracked within the ice cores as nucleation occurs, and dust cores advect and sediment along with their parent ice particle distributions. Radiative properties of dust and water particles are calculated as a function of the effective radius of the particles and the distribution width. The new microphysics scheme requires 5 tracers to be tracked as the moments of the dust, water ice, and ice core. All microphysical processes are simulated entirely within the two moment framework without any discretization of particle sizes.The effect of this new microphysics scheme on dust and water ice cloud distribution will be discussed and compared with observations from TES and MCS.

  15. Depth, ice thickness, and ice-out timing cause divergent hydrologic responses among Arctic lakes

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Arp, Christopher D.; Jones, Benjamin M.; Liljedahl, Anna K.; Hinkel, Kenneth M.; Welker, Jeffery A.

    2015-01-01

    Lakes are prevalent in the Arctic and thus play a key role in regional hydrology. Since many Arctic lakes are shallow and ice grows thick (historically 2-m or greater), seasonal ice commonly freezes to the lake bed (bedfast ice) by winter's end. Bedfast ice fundamentally alters lake energy balance and melt-out processes compared to deeper lakes that exceed the maximum ice thickness (floating ice) and maintain perennial liquid water below floating ice. Our analysis of lakes in northern Alaska indicated that ice-out of bedfast ice lakes occurred on average 17 days earlier (22-June) than ice-out on adjacent floating ice lakes (9-July). Earlier ice-free conditions in bedfast ice lakes caused higher open-water evaporation, 28% on average, relative to floating ice lakes and this divergence increased in lakes closer to the coast and in cooler summers. Water isotopes (18O and 2H) indicated similar differences in evaporation between these lake types. Our analysis suggests that ice regimes created by the combination of lake depth relative to ice thickness and associated ice-out timing currently cause a strong hydrologic divergence among Arctic lakes. Thus understanding the distribution and dynamics of lakes by ice regime is essential for predicting regional hydrology. An observed regime shift in lakes to floating ice conditions due to thinner ice growth may initially offset lake drying because of lower evaporative loss from this lake type. This potential negative feedback caused by winter processes occurs in spite of an overall projected increase in evapotranspiration as the Arctic climate warms.

  16. Under-Ice Phytoplankton Blooms Inhibited by Spring Convective Mixing in Refreezing Leads

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lowry, Kate E.; Pickart, Robert S.; Selz, Virginia; Mills, Matthew M.; Pacini, Astrid; Lewis, Kate M.; Joy-Warren, Hannah L.; Nobre, Carolina; van Dijken, Gert L.; Grondin, Pierre-Luc; Ferland, Joannie; Arrigo, Kevin R.

    2018-01-01

    Spring phytoplankton growth in polar marine ecosystems is limited by light availability beneath ice-covered waters, particularly early in the season prior to snowmelt and melt pond formation. Leads of open water increase light transmission to the ice-covered ocean and are sites of air-sea exchange. We explore the role of leads in controlling phytoplankton bloom dynamics within the sea ice zone of the Arctic Ocean. Data are presented from spring measurements in the Chukchi Sea during the Study of Under-ice Blooms In the Chukchi Ecosystem (SUBICE) program in May and June 2014. We observed that fully consolidated sea ice supported modest under-ice blooms, while waters beneath sea ice with leads had significantly lower phytoplankton biomass, despite high nutrient availability. Through an analysis of hydrographic and biological properties, we attribute this counterintuitive finding to springtime convective mixing in refreezing leads of open water. Our results demonstrate that waters beneath loosely consolidated sea ice (84-95% ice concentration) had weak stratification and were frequently mixed below the critical depth (the depth at which depth-integrated production balances depth-integrated respiration). These findings are supported by theoretical model calculations of under-ice light, primary production, and critical depth at varied lead fractions. The model demonstrates that under-ice blooms can form even beneath snow-covered sea ice in the absence of mixing but not in more deeply mixed waters beneath sea ice with refreezing leads. Future estimates of primary production should account for these phytoplankton dynamics in ice-covered waters.

  17. Water/ice phase transition: The role of zirconium acetate, a compound with ice-shaping properties

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Marcellini, Moreno; Fernandes, Francisco M.; Dedovets, Dmytro; Deville, Sylvain

    2017-04-01

    Few compounds feature ice-shaping properties. Zirconium acetate is one of the very few inorganic compounds reported so far to have ice-shaping properties similar to that of ice-shaping proteins, encountered in many organisms living at low temperature. When a zirconium acetate solution is frozen, oriented and perfectly hexagonal ice crystals can be formed and their growth follows the temperature gradient. To shed light on the water/ice phase transition while freezing zirconium acetate solution, we carried out differential scanning calorimetry measurements. From our results, we estimate how many water molecules do not freeze because of their interaction with Zr cations. We estimate the colligative properties of the Zr acetate on the apparent critical temperature. We further show that the phase transition is unaffected by the nature of the base which is used to adjust the pH. Our results provide thus new hints on the ice-shaping mechanism of zirconium acetate.

  18. Water/ice phase transition: The role of zirconium acetate, a compound with ice-shaping properties.

    PubMed

    Marcellini, Moreno; Fernandes, Francisco M; Dedovets, Dmytro; Deville, Sylvain

    2017-04-14

    Few compounds feature ice-shaping properties. Zirconium acetate is one of the very few inorganic compounds reported so far to have ice-shaping properties similar to that of ice-shaping proteins, encountered in many organisms living at low temperature. When a zirconium acetate solution is frozen, oriented and perfectly hexagonal ice crystals can be formed and their growth follows the temperature gradient. To shed light on the water/ice phase transition while freezing zirconium acetate solution, we carried out differential scanning calorimetry measurements. From our results, we estimate how many water molecules do not freeze because of their interaction with Zr cations. We estimate the colligative properties of the Zr acetate on the apparent critical temperature. We further show that the phase transition is unaffected by the nature of the base which is used to adjust the pH. Our results provide thus new hints on the ice-shaping mechanism of zirconium acetate.

  19. Friction at ice-Ih / water interfaces

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Louden, Patrick B.; Gezelter, J. Daniel

    We present evidence that the prismatic and secondary prism facets of ice-Ih crystals possess structural features that alter the effective hydrophilicity of the ice / water interface. This is shown through molecular dynamics simulations of solid-liquid friction, where the prismatic { 10 1 0 } , secondary prism { 11 2 0 } , basal { 0001 } , and pyramidal { 20 2 1 } facets are drawn through liquid water. We find that the two prismatic facets exhibit differential solid-liquid friction coefficients when compared with the basal and pyramidal facets. These results are complemented by a model solid/liquid interface with tunable hydrophilicity. These simulations provide evidence that the two prismatic faces have a significantly smaller effective surface area in contact with the liquid water. The ice / water interfacial widths for all four crystal facets are similar (using both structural and dynamic measures), and were found to be independent of the shear rate. Additionally, decomposition of orientational time correlation functions show position-dependence for the short- and longer-time decay components close to the interface. Support for this project was provided by the National Science Foundation under Grant CHE-1362211. Computational time was provided by the Center for Research Computing (CRC) at the University of Notre Dame.

  20. Could the Hokusai Impact Have Delivered Mercury's Water Ice?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ernst, C. M.; Chabot, N. L.; Barnouin, O. S.

    2018-05-01

    Hokusai is the best candidate source crater for Mercury’s water-ice inventory if it was primarily delivered by a single impact event. The Hokusai impact could account for the inventory of water ice on Mercury for impact velocities <30 km/s.

  1. Effects of an Arctic under-ice phytoplankton bloom on bio-optical properties of surface waters during the Norwegian Young Sea Ice Cruise (N-ICE2015)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pavlov, A. K.; Granskog, M. A.; Hudson, S. R.; Taskjelle, T.; Kauko, H.; Hamre, B.; Assmy, P.; Mundy, C. J.; Nicolaus, M.; Kowalczuk, P.; Stedmon, C. A.; Fernandez Mendez, M.

    2016-02-01

    A thinner and younger Arctic sea-ice cover has led to an increase in solar light transmission into the surface ocean, especially during late spring and summer. A description of the seasonal evolution of polar surface water optical properties is essential, in order to understand how changes are affecting light availability for photosynthetic organisms and the surface ocean energy budget. The development of the bio-optical properties of Arctic surface waters under predominantly first-year sea ice in the southern Nansen Basin were studied from January to June 2015 during the Norwegian Young Sea Ice Cruise (N-ICE2015). Observations included inherent optical properties, absorption by colored dissolved organic matter and particles, as well as radiometric measurements. We documented a rapid transition from relatively clear and transparent waters in winter to turbid waters in late May and June. This transition was associated with a strong under-ice phytoplankton bloom detected first under the compact ice pack and then monitored during drift across the marginal ice zone. We discuss potential implications of underwater light availability for photosynthesis, heat redistribution in the upper ocean layer, and energy budget of the sea-ice - ocean system.

  2. Ice-Crystal Fallstreaks from Supercooled Liquid Water Parent Clouds

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Campbell, James R.; O'C. Starr, David; Welton, Ellsworth J.; Spinhirne, James D.; Ferrare, Richard A.

    2003-01-01

    On 31 December 2001, ice-crystal fallstreaks (e.g., cirrus uncinus, or colloquially "Mare's Tails") from supercooled liquid water parent clouds were observed by ground-based lidars pointed vertically from the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Southern Great Plains (SGP) facility near Lamont, Oklahoma. The incidence of liquid phase cloud with apparent ice-phase precipitation is investigated. Scenarios for mixed-phase particle nucleation, and fallstreak formation and sustenance are discussed. The observations are unique in the context of the historical reverence given to the commonly observed c h s uncinus fallstreak (wholly ice) versus this seemingly contradictory coincidence of liquid water begetting ice-crystal streaks.

  3. When Big Ice Turns Into Water It Matters For Houses, Stores And Schools All Over

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bell, R. E.

    2017-12-01

    When ice in my glass turns to water it is not bad but when the big ice at the top and bottom of the world turns into water it is not good. This new water makes many houses, stores and schools wet. It is really bad during when the wind is strong and the rain is hard. New old ice water gets all over the place. We can not get to work or school or home. We go to the big ice at the top and bottom of the world to see if it will turn to water soon and make more houses wet. We fly over the big ice to see how it is doing. Most of the big ice sits on rock. Around the edge of the big sitting on rock ice, is really low ice that rides on top of the water. This really low ice slows down the big rock ice turning into water. If the really low ice cracks up and turns into little pieces of ice, the big rock ice will make more houses wet. We look to see if there is new water in the cracks. Water in the cracks is bad as it hurts the big rock ice. Water in the cracks on the really low ice will turn the low ice into many little pieces of ice. Then the big rock ice will turn to water. That is water in cracks is bad for the houses, schools and businesses. If water moves off the really low ice, it does not stay in the cracks. This is better for the really low ice. This is better for the big rock ice. We took pictures of the really low ice and saw water leaving. The water was not staying in the cracks. Water leaving the really low ice might be good for houses, schools and stores.

  4. Acoustic detection of ice crystals in Antarctic waters

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Penrose, John D.; Conde, M.; Pauly, T. J.

    1994-06-01

    During the voyage of the RSV Aurora Australis to the region of Prydz Bay, Antarctica in January-March 1991, ice crystals were encountered at depths from the surface to 125-m in the western area of the bay. On two occasions, crystals were retrieved by netting, and echo sounder records have been used to infer additional regions of occurrence. Acoustic target strength estimates made on the ice crystal assemblies encountered show significant spatial variation, which may relate to crystal size and/or aggregation. Data from a suite of conductivity-temperature-depth casts have been used to map regions of the study area where in situ water temperatures fell below the computed freezing point. Such regions correlate well with those selected on the basis of echogram type and imply that ice crystals occurred at depth over large areas of the bay during the cruise period. The ice crystal distribution described is consistent with that expected from a plume of supercooled water emerging from under the Amery Ice Shelf and forming part of the general circulation of the bay. The magnitude of the supercooled water plume is greater than those reported previously in the Prydz Bay region. If misinterpreted as biota on echo sounder records, ice crystals could significantly bias biomass estimates based on echo integration in this and potentially other areas.

  5. Marginal Ice Zone: Biogeochemical Sampling with Gliders

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2015-09-30

    chlorophyll primary productivity model to estimate and compare phytoplankton productivity under full ice cover, in the MIZ, and in open ice-free water...observing array (Fig. 1). The glider sensor suite included temperature, temperature microstructure, salinity, oxygen, chlorophyll fluorescence, optical...operating in continental shelf waters off Alaska’s north slope allowed us to construct proxy libraries for converting chlorophyll fluorescence to

  6. Exposed water ice on the nucleus of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.

    PubMed

    Filacchione, G; De Sanctis, M C; Capaccioni, F; Raponi, A; Tosi, F; Ciarniello, M; Cerroni, P; Piccioni, G; Capria, M T; Palomba, E; Bellucci, G; Erard, S; Bockelee-Morvan, D; Leyrat, C; Arnold, G; Barucci, M A; Fulchignoni, M; Schmitt, B; Quirico, E; Jaumann, R; Stephan, K; Longobardo, A; Mennella, V; Migliorini, A; Ammannito, E; Benkhoff, J; Bibring, J P; Blanco, A; Blecka, M I; Carlson, R; Carsenty, U; Colangeli, L; Combes, M; Combi, M; Crovisier, J; Drossart, P; Encrenaz, T; Federico, C; Fink, U; Fonti, S; Ip, W H; Irwin, P; Kuehrt, E; Langevin, Y; Magni, G; McCord, T; Moroz, L; Mottola, S; Orofino, V; Schade, U; Taylor, F; Tiphene, D; Tozzi, G P; Beck, P; Biver, N; Bonal, L; Combe, J-Ph; Despan, D; Flamini, E; Formisano, M; Fornasier, S; Frigeri, A; Grassi, D; Gudipati, M S; Kappel, D; Mancarella, F; Markus, K; Merlin, F; Orosei, R; Rinaldi, G; Cartacci, M; Cicchetti, A; Giuppi, S; Hello, Y; Henry, F; Jacquinod, S; Reess, J M; Noschese, R; Politi, R; Peter, G

    2016-01-21

    Although water vapour is the main species observed in the coma of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko and water is the major constituent of cometary nuclei, limited evidence for exposed water-ice regions on the surface of the nucleus has been found so far. The absence of large regions of exposed water ice seems a common finding on the surfaces of many of the comets observed so far. The nucleus of 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko appears to be fairly uniformly coated with dark, dehydrated, refractory and organic-rich material. Here we report the identification at infrared wavelengths of water ice on two debris falls in the Imhotep region of the nucleus. The ice has been exposed on the walls of elevated structures and at the base of the walls. A quantitative derivation of the abundance of ice in these regions indicates the presence of millimetre-sized pure water-ice grains, considerably larger than in all previous observations. Although micrometre-sized water-ice grains are the usual result of vapour recondensation in ice-free layers, the occurrence of millimetre-sized grains of pure ice as observed in the Imhotep debris falls is best explained by grain growth by vapour diffusion in ice-rich layers, or by sintering. As a consequence of these processes, the nucleus can develop an extended and complex coating in which the outer dehydrated crust is superimposed on layers enriched in water ice. The stratigraphy observed on 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko is therefore the result of evolutionary processes affecting the uppermost metres of the nucleus and does not necessarily require a global layering to have occurred at the time of the comet's formation.

  7. Hexagonal ice in pure water and biological NMR samples.

    PubMed

    Bauer, Thomas; Gath, Julia; Hunkeler, Andreas; Ernst, Matthias; Böckmann, Anja; Meier, Beat H

    2017-01-01

    Ice, in addition to "liquid" water and protein, is an important component of protein samples for NMR spectroscopy at subfreezing temperatures but it has rarely been observed spectroscopically in this context. We characterize its spectroscopic behavior in the temperature range from 100 to 273 K, and find that it behaves like pure water ice. The interference of magic-angle spinning (MAS) as well as rf multiple-pulse sequences with Bjerrum-defect motion greatly influences the ice spectra.

  8. Anchor ice and benthic disturbance in shallow Antarctic waters: interspecific variation in initiation and propagation of ice crystals.

    PubMed

    Denny, Mark; Dorgan, Kelly M; Evangelista, Dennis; Hettinger, Annaliese; Leichter, James; Ruder, Warren C; Tuval, Idan

    2011-10-01

    Sea ice typically forms at the ocean's surface, but given a source of supercooled water, an unusual form of ice--anchor ice--can grow on objects in the water column or at the seafloor. For several decades, ecologists have considered anchor ice to be an important agent of disturbance in the shallow-water benthic communities of McMurdo Sound, Antarctica, and potentially elsewhere in polar seas. Divers have documented anchor ice in the McMurdo communities, and its presence coincides with reduced abundance of the sponge Homaxinella balfourensis, which provides habitat for a diverse assemblage of benthic organisms. However, the mechanism of this disturbance has not been explored. Here we show interspecific differences in anchor-ice formation and propagation characteristics for Antarctic benthic organisms. The sponges H. balfourensis and Suberites caminatus show increased incidence of formation and accelerated spread of ice crystals compared to urchins and sea stars. Anchor ice also forms readily on sediments, from which it can grow and adhere to organisms. Our results are consistent with, and provide a potential first step toward, an explanation for disturbance patterns observed in shallow polar benthic communities. Interspecific differences in ice formation raise questions about how surface tissue characteristics such as surface area, rugosity, and mucus coating affect ice formation on invertebrates.

  9. Perennial water ice identified in the south polar cap of Mars

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bibring, Jean-Pierre; Langevin, Yves; Poulet, François; Gendrin, Aline; Gondet, Brigitte; Berthé, Michel; Soufflot, Alain; Drossart, Pierre; Combes, Michel; Bellucci, Giancarlo; Moroz, Vassili; Mangold, Nicolas; Schmitt, Bernard; OMEGA Team; Erard, S.; Forni, O.; Manaud, N.; Poulleau, G.; Encrenaz, T.; Fouchet, T.; Melchiorri, R.; Altieri, F.; Formisano, V.; Bonello, G.; Fonti, S.; Capaccioni, F.; Cerroni, P.; Coradini, A.; Kottsov, V.; Ignatiev, N.; Titov, D.; Zasova, L.; Pinet, P.; Sotin, C.; Hauber, E.; Hoffman, H.; Jaumann, R.; Keller, U.; Arvidson, R.; Mustard, J.; Duxbury, T.; Forget, F.

    2004-04-01

    The inventory of water and carbon dioxide reservoirs on Mars are important clues for understanding the geological, climatic and potentially exobiological evolution of the planet. From the early mapping observation of the permanent ice caps on the martian poles, the northern cap was believed to be mainly composed of water ice, whereas the southern cap was thought to be constituted of carbon dioxide ice. However, recent missions (NASA missions Mars Global Surveyor and Odyssey) have revealed surface structures, altimetry profiles, underlying buried hydrogen, and temperatures of the south polar regions that are thermodynamically consistent with a mixture of surface water ice and carbon dioxide. Here we present the first direct identification and mapping of both carbon dioxide and water ice in the martian high southern latitudes, at a resolution of 2km, during the local summer, when the extent of the polar ice is at its minimum. We observe that this south polar cap contains perennial water ice in extended areas: as a small admixture to carbon dioxide in the bright regions; associated with dust, without carbon dioxide, at the edges of this bright cap; and, unexpectedly, in large areas tens of kilometres away from the bright cap.

  10. Aircraft measurements of microwave emission from Arctic Sea ice

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Wilheit, T.; Nordberg, W.; Blinn, J.; Campbell, W.; Edgerton, A.

    1971-01-01

    Measurements of the microwave emission from Arctic Sea ice were made with aircraft at 8 wavelengths ranging from 0.510 to 2.81 cm. The expected contrast in emissivities between ice and water was observed at all wavelengths. Distributions of sea ice and open water were mapped from altitudes up to 11 km in the presence of dense cloud cover. Different forms of ice also exhibited strong contrasts in emissivity. Emissivity differences of up to 0.2 were observed between two types of ice at the 0.811-cm wavelength. The higher emissivity ice type is tentatively identified as having been formed more recently than the lower emissivity ice. ?? 1971.

  11. Aircraft measurements of microwave emission from Arctic Sea Ice

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wilheit, T. T.; Blinn, J.; Campbell, W. J.; Edgerton, A. T.; Nordberg, W.

    1971-01-01

    Measurements of the microwave emission from Arctic Sea ice were made with aircraft at 8 wavelengths ranging from 0.510 cm to 2.81 cm. The expected contrast in emissivities between ice and water was observed at all wavelengths. Distributions of sea ice and open water were mapped from altitudes up to 11 km in the presence of dense cloud cover. Different forms of ice also exhibited strong contrasts in emissivity. Emissivity differences of up to 0.2 were observed between two types of ice at 0.811 cm wavelength. The higher emissivity ice type is tentatively identified as having been formed more recently than the lower emissivity ice.

  12. Efficacy of sanitized ice in reducing bacterial load on fish fillet and in the water collected from the melted ice.

    PubMed

    Feliciano, Lizanel; Lee, Jaesung; Lopes, John A; Pascall, Melvin A

    2010-05-01

    This study investigated the efficacy of sanitized ice for the reduction of bacteria in the water collected from the ice that melted during storage of whole and filleted Tilapia fish. Also, bacterial reductions on the fish fillets were investigated. The sanitized ice was prepared by freezing solutions of PRO-SAN (an organic acid formulation) and neutral electrolyzed water (NEW). For the whole fish study, the survival of the natural microflora was determined from the water of the melted ice prepared with PRO-SAN and tap water. These water samples were collected during an 8 h storage period. For the fish fillet study, samples were inoculated with Escherichia coli K12, Listeria innocua, and Pseudomonas putida then stored on crushed sanitized ice. The efficacies of these were tested by enumerating each bacterial species on the fish fillet and in the water samples at 12 and 24 h intervals for 72 h, respectively. Results showed that each bacterial population was reduced during the test. However, a bacterial reduction of < 1 log CFU was obtained for the fillet samples. A maximum of approximately 2 log CFU and > 3 log CFU reductions were obtained in the waters sampled after the storage of whole fish and the fillets, respectively. These reductions were significantly (P < 0.05) higher in the water from sanitized ice when compared with the water from the unsanitized melted ice. These results showed that the organic acid formulation and NEW considerably reduced the bacterial numbers in the melted ice and thus reduced the potential for cross-contamination.

  13. Caltech water-ice dusty plasma: preliminary results

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bellan, Paul; Chai, Kilbyoung

    2013-10-01

    A water-ice dusty plasma laboratory experiment has begun operation at Caltech. As in Ref., a 1-5 watt parallel-plate 13.56 MHz rf discharge plasma has LN2-cooled electrodes that cool the neutral background gas to cryogenic temperatures. However, instead of creating water vapor by in-situ deuterium-oxygen bonding, here the neutral gas is argon and water vapor is added in a controlled fashion. Ice grains spontaneously form after a few seconds. Photography with a HeNe line filter of a sheet of HeNe laser light sheet illuminating a cross section of dust grains shows a large scale whorl pattern composed of concentric sub-whorls having wave-like spatially varying intensity. Each sub-whorl is composed of very evenly separated fine-scale stream-lines indicating that the ice grains move in self-organized lanes like automobiles on a multi-line highway. HeNe laser extinction together with an estimate of dust density from the intergrain spacing in photographs indicates a 5 micron nominal dust grain radius. HeNe laser diffraction patterns indicate the ice dust grains are large and ellipsoidal at low pressure (200 mT) but small and spheroidal at high pressure (>600 mT). Supported by USDOE.

  14. Numerical model of frazil ice and suspended sediment concentrations and formation of sediment laden ice in the Kara Sea

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Sherwood, C.R.

    2000-01-01

    A one-dimensional (vertical) numerical model of currents, mixing, frazil ice concentration, and suspended sediment concentration has been developed and applied in the shallow southeastern Kara Sea. The objective of the calculations is to determine whether conditions suitable for turbid ice formation can occur during times of rapid cooling and wind- and wave-induced sediment resuspension. Although the model uses a simplistic approach to ice particles and neglects ice-sediment interactions, the results for low-stratification, shallow (∼20-m) freeze-up conditions indicate that the coconcentrations of frazil ice and suspended sediment in the water column are similar to observed concentrations of sediment in turbid ice. This suggests that wave-induced sediment resuspension is a viable mechanism for turbid ice formation, and enrichment mechanisms proposed to explain the high concentrations of sediment in turbid ice relative to sediment concentrations in underlying water may not be necessary in energetic conditions. However, salinity stratification found near the Ob' and Yenisey Rivers damps mixing between ice-laden surface water and sediment-laden bottom water and probably limits incorporation of resuspended sediment into turbid ice until prolonged or repeated wind events mix away the stratification. Sensitivity analyses indicate that shallow (≤20 m), unstratified waters with fine bottom sediment (settling speeds of ∼1 mm s−1 or less) and long open water fetches (>25 km) are ideal conditions for resuspension.

  15. Exposure of Water Ice in the Northern Mid-lattitudes of Mars

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Allen, Carlton C.; Kanner, Lisa C.

    2007-01-01

    Water ice is exposed in the martian north polar cap, and is occasionally exposed beyond the cap boundary. Orbital gamma ray spectrometry data strongly imply the presence of water ice within meters of the surface at latitudes north of approximately 60 deg. We have examined midlatitude areas of the northern plains displaying evidence of residual ice-rich layers, and report possible present-day exposures of ice. These exposures, if confirmed, could constrain the latitudinal and temporal stability of surface ice on Mars.

  16. Freezing Temperatures, Ice Nanotubes Structures, and Proton Ordering of TIP4P/ICE Water inside Single Wall Carbon Nanotubes.

    PubMed

    Pugliese, P; Conde, M M; Rovere, M; Gallo, P

    2017-11-16

    A very recent experimental paper importantly and unexpectedly showed that water in carbon nanotubes is already in the solid ordered phase at the temperature where bulk water boils. The water models used so far in literature for molecular dynamics simulations in carbon nanotubes show freezing temperatures lower than the experiments. We present here results from molecular dynamics simulations of water inside single walled carbon nanotubes using an extremely realistic model for both liquid and icy water, the TIP4P/ICE. The water behavior inside nanotubes of different diameters has been studied upon cooling along the isobars at ambient pressure starting from temperatures where water is in a liquid state. We studied the liquid/solid transition, and we observed freezing temperatures higher than in bulk water and that depend on the diameter of the nanotube. The maximum freezing temperature found is 390 K, which is in remarkable agreement with the recent experimental measurements. We have also analyzed the ice structure called "ice nanotube" that water forms inside the single walled carbon nanotubes when it freezes. The ice forms observed are in agreement with previous results obtained with different water models. A novel finding, a partial proton ordering, is evidenced in our ice nanotubes at finite temperature.

  17. Mapping Of Lake Ice In Northern Europe Using Dual-Polarization RadarSAT-2 Data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hindberg, Heidi; Malnes, Erik

    2013-12-01

    In this paper, we investigate the potential of including cross-polarization data in an unsupervised classification method based on SAR data to determine ice extent over lakes in Northern Europe. By introducing cross-pol data we can increase the separability between open water and ice, and we can decrease misclassifications where open water with waves is classified as ice. Cross-pol data also helps with labelling of the classes. However, cross-pol data can decrease the separability between the classes if the ice on the lake is very thin.

  18. Concurrent remote sensing of Arctic sea ice from submarine and aircraft

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wadhams, P.; Davis, N. R.; Comiso, J. C.; Kutz, R.; Crawford, J.; Jackson, G.; Krabill, W.; Sear, C. B.; Swift, R.; Tucker, W. B., III

    1991-01-01

    In May 1987 a concurrent remote sensing study of Arctic sea ice from above and below was carried out. A submarine equipped with sidescan and upward looking sonar collaborated with two remote sensing aircraft equipped with passive microwave, synthetic aperture radar (SAR), a laser profilometer and an infrared radiometer. By careful registration of the three tracks it has been possible to find relationships between ice type, ice morphology and thickness, SAR backscatter and microwave brightness temperatures. The key to the process has been the sidescan sonar's ability to identify ice type through differences in characteristic topography. Over a heavily ridged area of mainly multiyear ice there is a strong positive correlation between SAR backscatter and ice draft or elevation. It was also found that passive and active microwave complement each other in that SAR has a high contrast between open water and multiyear ice, while passive microwave has a high contrast between open water and first-year ice.

  19. Thermal stability of water ice in Ceres' crater Oxo

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Formisano, Michelangelo; Federico, Costanzo; De Sanctis, Maria Cristina; Frigeri, Alessandro; Magni, Gianfranco; Tosi, Federico

    2016-10-01

    Dwarf planet Ceres, target of the NASA Dawn mission, exhibits evidences of ammoniated phyllosilicates on its surface [1], compatible with a likely outer Solar System origin. Considerable amounts of water ice have recently been detected in some craters by the Visible InfraRed mapping spectrometer (VIR) onboard Dawn in some small fresh crater, such as Oxo, located at about 40° N. The exposure mechanism of water ice is unknown: cryovolcanism, cometary type sublimation/recondensation [2]or impacts with other bodies are likely mechanisms. The evaluation of the time stability of the water ice is crucial to understand the plausible mechanism for its existence. For this purpose, we developed a 3D finite-elements model (FEM) by using the topography given by the shape model of Ceres derived on the basis of images acquired by the Framing Camera in the Survey mission phase. The illumination conditions are provided by the SPICE toolkit. We performed several simulations by analyzing the effect of thermal inertia and albedo on the temperature and rate of ice sublimation. The results of the simulations about the stability of water ice will be presented.[1] De Sanctis et al. NATURE, doi:10.1038/nature16172[2] Formisano et al. MNRAS, doi: 10.1093/mnras/stv2344

  20. Mixing water ice into regolith in low-velocity impact experiments

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Brisset, J.; Colwell, J. E.; Dove, A.; Rascon, A. N.; Mohammed, N.; Cox, C.

    2016-12-01

    Collisions between dust and ice grains of different sizes lead to particle growth both in Saturn's rings and in the protoplanetary disk (PPD). Low-velocity collisions (a few m/s or less) among ring or PPD particles produce ejecta and play an important role in this growth process as ejected particles accrete on larger grains. We report on the results of a series of experiments to study the ejecta mass-velocity distribution from impacts of cm-scale particles into granular media at speeds below 3 m/s. These experiments were performed using the lunar regolith simulant JSC-1 in both microgravity and 1-g conditions, under vacuum and at room temperature. As most planetesimal formation occurred beyond the frost line and as Satrun's rings particles are mostly composed of water ice, we proceeded to perform impact experiments at 1-g into JSC-1 lunar regolith simulant mixed with water ice particles at low temperatures (<150 K). We will present the results of the cryogenic impacts and compare them to the study performed at room temperature without water ice. The inclusion of water ice into the target sample is a first step towards better understanding the influence of the presence of water ice in the production of ejecta in response to low-velocity impacts. We will discuss the implications of our results for planetary ring particle collisions as well as planetesimal formation.

  1. Passive microwave characteristics of the Bering Sea ice cover during Marginal Ice Zone Experiment (MIZEX) West

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cavalieri, D. J.; Gloersen, P.; Wilheit, T. T.; Calhoon, C.

    1984-01-01

    Passive microwave measurements of the Bering Sea were made with the NASA CV-990 airborne laboratory during February. Microwave data were obtained with imaging and dual-polarized, fixed-beam radiometers in a range of frequencies from 10 to 183 GHz. The high resolution imagery at 92 GHz provides a particularly good description of the marginal ice zone delineating regions of open water, ice compactness, and ice-edge structure. Analysis of the fixed-beam data shows that spectral differences increase with a decrease in ice thickness. Polarization at 18 and 37 GHz distinguishes among new, young, and first-year sea ice types.

  2. Coupled ice-ocean dynamics in the marginal ice zones Upwelling/downwelling and eddy generation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hakkinen, S.

    1986-01-01

    This study is aimed at modeling mesoscale processes such as upwelling/downwelling and ice edge eddies in the marginal ice zones. A two-dimensional coupled ice-ocean model is used for the study. The ice model is coupled to the reduced gravity ocean model through interfacial stresses. The parameters of the ocean model were chosen so that the dynamics would be nonlinear. The model was tested by studying the dynamics of upwelling. Wings parallel to the ice edge with the ice on the right produce upwelling because the air-ice momentum flux is much greater than air-ocean momentum flux; thus the Ekman transport is greater than the ice than in the open water. The stability of the upwelling and downwelling jets is discussed. The downwelling jet is found to be far more unstable than the upwelling jet because the upwelling jet is stabilized by the divergence. The constant wind field exerted on a varying ice cover will generate vorticity leading to enhanced upwelling/downwelling regions, i.e., wind-forced vortices. Steepening and strengthening of vortices are provided by the nonlinear terms. When forcing is time-varying, the advection terms will also redistribute the vorticity. The wind reversals will separate the vortices from the ice edge, so that the upwelling enhancements are pushed to the open ocean and the downwelling enhancements are pushed underneath the ice.

  3. A scheme for parameterizing ice cloud water content in general circulation models

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Heymsfield, Andrew J.; Donner, Leo J.

    1989-01-01

    A method for specifying ice water content in GCMs is developed, based on theory and in-cloud measurements. A theoretical development of the conceptual precipitation model is given and the aircraft flights used to characterize the ice mass distribution in deep ice clouds is discussed. Ice water content values derived from the theoretical parameterization are compared with the measured values. The results demonstrate that a simple parameterization for atmospheric ice content can account for ice contents observed in several synoptic contexts.

  4. Effects of Mackenzie River Discharge and Bathymetry on Sea Ice in the Beaufort Sea

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Nghiem, S. V.; Hall, D. K.; Rigor, I. G; Li, P.; Neumann, G.

    2014-01-01

    Mackenzie River discharge and bathymetry effects on sea ice in the Beaufort Sea are examined in 2012 when Arctic sea ice extent hit a record low. Satellite-derived sea surface temperature revealed warmer waters closer to river mouths. By 5 July 2012, Mackenzie warm waters occupied most of an open water area about 316,000 sq km. Surface temperature in a common open water area increased by 6.5 C between 14 June and 5 July 2012, before and after the river waters broke through a recurrent landfast ice barrier formed over the shallow seafloor offshore the Mackenzie Delta. In 2012, melting by warm river waters was especially effective when the strong Beaufort Gyre fragmented sea ice into unconsolidated floes. The Mackenzie and other large rivers can transport an enormous amount of heat across immense continental watersheds into the Arctic Ocean, constituting a stark contrast to the Antarctic that has no such rivers to affect sea ice.

  5. Convection Models for Ice-Water System: Dynamical Investigation of Phase Transition

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Allu Peddinti, D.; McNamara, A. K.

    2012-12-01

    Ever since planetary missions of Voyager and Galileo revealed a dynamically altered surface of the icy moon Europa, a possible subsurface ocean under an icy shell has been speculated and surface features have been interpreted from an interior dynamics perspective. The physics of convection in a two phase water-ice system is governed by a wide set of physical parameters that include melting viscosity of ice, the variation of viscosity due to pressure and temperature, temperature contrast across and tidal heating within the system, and the evolving thickness of each layer. Due to the extreme viscosity contrast between liquid water and solid ice, it is not feasible to model the entire system to study convection. However, using a low-viscosity proxy (higher viscosity than the liquid water but much lower than solid ice) for the liquid phase provides a convenient approximation of the system, and allows for a relatively realistic representation of convection within the ice layer while also providing a self-consistent ice layer thickness that is a function of the thermal state of the system. In order to apply this method appropriately, we carefully examine the upper bound of viscosity required for the low-viscosity proxy to adequately represent the liquid phase. We identify upper bounds on the viscosity of the proxy liquid such that convective dynamics of the ice are not affected by further reductions of viscosity. Furthermore, we investigate how the temperature contrast across the system and viscosity contrast between liquid and ice control ice layer thickness. We also investigate ice shell thickening as a function of cooling, particularly how viscosity affects the conduction-to-convection transition within the ice shell. Finally, we present initial results that investigate the effects that latent heat of fusion (due to the ice-water phase transition) has on ice convection.

  6. RADARSAT-2 Polarimetric Radar Imaging for Lake Ice Mapping

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pan, F.; Kang, K.; Duguay, C. R.

    2016-12-01

    Changes in lake ice dates and duration are useful indicators for assessing long-term climate trends and variability in northern countries. Lake ice cover observations are also a valuable data source for predictions with numerical ice and weather forecasting models. In recent years, satellite remote sensing has assumed a greater role in providing observations of lake ice cover extent for both modeling and climate monitoring purposes. Polarimetric radar imaging has become a promising tool for lake ice mapping at high latitudes where meteorological conditions and polar darkness severely limit observations from optical sensors. In this study, we assessed and characterized the physical scattering mechanisms of lake ice from fully polarimetric RADARSAT-2 datasets obtained over Great Bear Lake, Canada, with the intent of classifying open water and different ice types during the freeze-up and break-up periods. Model-based and eigen-based decompositions were employed to construct the coherency matrix into deterministic scattering mechanisms. These procedures as well as basic polarimetric parameters were integrated into modified convolutional neural networks (CNN). The CNN were modified via introduction of a Markov random field into the higher iterative layers of networks for acquiring updated priors and classifying ice and open water areas over the lake. We show that the selected polarimetric parameters can help with interpretation of radar-ice/water interactions and can be used successfully for water-ice segmentation, including different ice types. As more satellite SAR sensors are being launched or planned, such as the Sentinel-1a/b series and the upcoming RADARSAT Constellation Mission, the rapid volume growth of data and their analysis require the development of robust automated algorithms. The approach developed in this study was therefore designed with the intent of moving towards fully automated mapping of lake ice for consideration by ice services.

  7. Seasonal Outflow of Ice Shelf Water Across the Front of the Filchner Ice Shelf, Weddell Sea, Antarctica

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Darelius, E.; Sallée, J. B.

    2018-04-01

    The ice shelf water (ISW) found in the Filchner Trough, located in the southern Weddell Sea, Antarctica, is climatically important; it descends into the deep Weddell Sea contributing to bottom water formation, and it blocks warm off-shelf waters from accessing the Filchner ice shelf cavity. Yet the circulation of ISW within the Filchner Trough and the processes determining its exchange across the ice shelf front are to a large degree unknown. Here mooring records from the ice shelf front are presented, the longest of which is 4 years long. They show that the coldest (Θ =- 2.3∘C) ISW, which originates from the Ronne Trough in the west, exits the cavity across the western part of the ice shelf front during late austral summer and early autumn. The supercooled ISW escaping the cavity flows northward with a velocity of about 0.03 m/s. During the rest of the year, there is no outflow at the western site: the current is directed eastward, parallel to the ice shelf front, and the temperatures at the mooring site are slightly higher (Θ =- 2.0∘C). The eastern records show a more persistent outflow of ISW.

  8. Freshwater ice as habitat: partitioning of phytoplankton and bacteria between ice and water in central European reservoirs.

    PubMed

    McKay, Robert M L; Prášil, Ondrej; Pechar, Libor; Lawrenz, Evelyn; Rozmarynowycz, Mark J; Bullerjahn, George S

    2015-12-01

    Abundant phytoplankton and bacteria were identified by high-throughput 16S rRNA tag Illumina sequencing of samples from water and ice phases collected during winter at commercial fish ponds and a sand pit lake within the UNESCO Třeboň Basin Biosphere Reserve, Czech Republic. Bacterial reads were dominated by Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes. Despite dominance by members of just two phyla, UniFrac principal coordinates analysis of the bacterial community separated the water community of Klec fish pond, as well as the ice-associated community of Klec-Sand Pit from other samples. Both phytoplankton and cyanobacteria were represented with hundreds of sequence reads per sample, a finding corroborated by microscopy. In particular, ice from Klec-Sand Pit contained high contributions from photoautotrophs accounting for 25% of total reads with reads dominated by single operational taxonomic units (OTUs) of the cyanobacterium Planktothrix sp. and two filamentous diatoms. Dominant OTUs recovered from ice were largely absent (< 0.01%) from underlying water suggestive of low floristic similarity of phytoplankton partitioned between these phases. Photosynthetic characterization of phototrophs resident in water and ice analysed by variable chlorophyll a fluorescence showed that communities from both phases were photosynthetically active, thus supporting ice as viable habitat for phytoplankton in freshwater lakes and reservoirs. © 2015 Society for Applied Microbiology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  9. Cavitation and water fluxes driven by ice water potential in Juglans regia during freeze-thaw cycles.

    PubMed

    Charra-Vaskou, Katline; Badel, Eric; Charrier, Guillaume; Ponomarenko, Alexandre; Bonhomme, Marc; Foucat, Loïc; Mayr, Stefan; Améglio, Thierry

    2016-02-01

    Freeze-thaw cycles induce major hydraulic changes due to liquid-to-ice transition within tree stems. The very low water potential at the ice-liquid interface is crucial as it may cause lysis of living cells as well as water fluxes and embolism in sap conduits, which impacts whole tree-water relations. We investigated water fluxes induced by ice formation during freeze-thaw cycles in Juglans regia L. stems using four non-invasive and complementary approaches: a microdendrometer, magnetic resonance imaging, X-ray microtomography, and ultrasonic acoustic emissions analysis. When the temperature dropped, ice nucleation occurred, probably in the cambium or pith areas, inducing high water potential gradients within the stem. The water was therefore redistributed within the stem toward the ice front. We could thus observe dehydration of the bark's living cells leading to drastic shrinkage of this tissue, as well as high tension within wood conduits reaching the cavitation threshold in sap vessels. Ultrasonic emissions, which were strictly emitted only during freezing, indicated cavitation events (i.e. bubble formation) following ice formation in the xylem sap. However, embolism formation (i.e. bubble expansion) in stems was observed only on thawing via X-ray microtomography for the first time on the same sample. Ultrasonic emissions were detected during freezing and were not directly related to embolism formation. These results provide new insights into the complex process and dynamics of water movements and ice formation during freeze-thaw cycles in tree stems. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology.

  10. Influence of sea ice cover and icebergs on circulation and water mass formation in a numerical circulation model of the Ross Sea, Antarctica

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dinniman, Michael S.; Klinck, John M.; Smith, Walker O.

    2007-11-01

    Satellite imagery shows that there was substantial variability in the sea ice extent in the Ross Sea during 2001-2003. Much of this variability is thought to be due to several large icebergs that moved through the area during that period. The effects of these changes in sea ice on circulation and water mass distributions are investigated with a numerical general circulation model. It would be difficult to simulate the highly variable sea ice from 2001 to 2003 with a dynamic sea ice model since much of the variability was due to the floating icebergs. Here, sea ice concentration is specified from satellite observations. To examine the effects of changes in sea ice due to iceberg C-19, simulations were performed using either climatological ice concentrations or the observed ice for that period. The heat balance around the Ross Sea Polynya (RSP) shows that the dominant term in the surface heat budget is the net exchange with the atmosphere, but advection of oceanic warm water is also important. The area average annual basal melt rate beneath the Ross Ice Shelf is reduced by 12% in the observed sea ice simulation. The observed sea ice simulation also creates more High-Salinity Shelf Water. Another simulation was performed with observed sea ice and a fixed iceberg representing B-15A. There is reduced advection of warm surface water during summer from the RSP into McMurdo Sound due to B-15A, but a much stronger reduction is due to the late opening of the RSP in early 2003 because of C-19.

  11. Wind energy input into the upper ocean over a lengthening open water season

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mahoney, A. R.; Rolph, R.; Walsh, J. E.

    2017-12-01

    Wind energy input into the ocean has important consequences for upper ocean mixing, heat and gas exchange, and air-sea momentum transfer. In the Arctic, the open water season is increasing and extending further into the fall storm season, allowing for more wind energy input into the water column. The rate at which the delayed freeze-up timing extends into fall storm season is an important metric to evaluate because the expanding overlap between the open water period and storm season could contribute a significant amount of wind energy into the water column in a relatively short period of time. We have shown that time-integrated wind speeds over open water in the Chukchi Sea and southern Beaufort region have increased since 1979 through 2014. An integrated wind energy input value is calculated for each year in this domain over the open water season, as well as for periods over partial concentrations of ice cover. Spatial variation of this integrated wind energy is shown along the Alaskan coastline, which can have implications for different rates of coastal erosion. Spatial correlation between average wind speed over open water and open water season length from 1979-2014 show positive values in the southern Beaufort, but negative values in the northern Chukchi. This suggests possible differences in the role of the ocean on open water season length depending on region. We speculate that the warm Pacific water outflow plays a more dominant role in extending the open water season length in the northern Chukchi when compared to the southern Beaufort, and might help explain why we can show there is a relatively longer open water season length there. The negative and positive correlations in wind speeds over open water and open water season length might also be explained by oceanic changes tending to operate on longer timescales than the atmosphere. Seasonal timescales of wind events such as regional differences in overlap of the extended open water season due to regional

  12. RADARSAT-2 Polarimetry for Lake Ice Mapping

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pan, Feng; Kang, Kyung-Kuk; Duguay, Claude

    2016-04-01

    Changes in the ice regime of lakes can be employed to assess long-term climate trends and variability in high latitude regions. Lake ice cover observations are not only useful for climate monitoring, but also for improving ice and weather forecasts using numerical prediction models. In recent years, satellite remote sensing has assumed a greater role in observing lake ice cover for both purposes. Radar remote sensing has become an essential tool for mapping lake ice at high latitudes where cloud cover and polar darkness severely limits ice observations from optical systems. In Canada, there is an emerging interest by government agencies to evaluate the potential of fully polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data from RADARSAT-2 (C-band) for lake ice monitoring. In this study, we processed and analyzed the polarization states and scattering mechanisms of fully polarimetric RADARSAT-2 data obtained over Great Bear Lake, Canada, to identify open water and different ice types during the freeze-up and break-up periods. Polarimetric decompositions were employed to separate polarimetric measurements into basic scattering mechanisms. Entropy, anisotropy, and alpha angle were derived to characterize the scattering heterogeneity and mechanisms. Ice classes were then determined based on entropy and alpha angle using the unsupervised Wishart classifier and results evaluated against Landsat 8 imagery. Preliminary results suggest that the RADARSAT-2 polarimetric data offer a strong capability for identifying open water and different lake ice types.

  13. Influences of sea ice on eastern Bering Sea phytoplankton

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhou, Qianqian; Wang, Peng; Chen, Changping; Liang, Junrong; Li, Bingqian; Gao, Yahui

    2015-03-01

    The influence of sea ice on the species composition and cell density of phytoplankton was investigated in the eastern Bering Sea in spring 2008. Diatoms, particularly pennate diatoms, dominated the phytoplankton community. The dominant species were Grammonema islandica (Grunow in Van Heurck) Hasle, Fragilariopsis cylindrus (Grunow) Krieger, F. oceanica (Cleve) Hasle, Navicula vanhoeffenii Gran, Thalassiosira antarctica Comber, T. gravida Cleve, T. nordenskiöeldii Cleve, and T. rotula Meunier. Phytoplankton cell densities varied from 0.08×104 to 428.8×104 cells/L, with an average of 30.3×104 cells/L. Using cluster analysis, phytoplankton were grouped into three assemblages defined by ice-forming conditions: open water, ice edge, and sea ice assemblages. In spring, when the sea ice melts, the phytoplankton dispersed from the sea ice to the ice edge and even into open waters. Thus, these phytoplankton in the sea ice may serve as a "seed bank" for phytoplankton population succession in the subarctic ecosystem. Moreover, historical studies combined with these results suggest that the sizes of diatom species have become smaller, shifting from microplankton to nannoplankton-dominated communities.

  14. Nonlinear Spectral Mixture Modeling to Estimate Water-Ice Abundance of Martian Regolith

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gyalay, Szilard; Chu, Kathryn; Zeev Noe Dobrea, Eldar

    2017-10-01

    We present a novel technique to estimate the abundance of water-ice in the Martian permafrost using Phoenix Surface Stereo Imager multispectral data. In previous work, Cull et al. (2010) estimated the abundance of water-ice in trenches dug by the Mars Phoenix lander by modeling the spectra of the icy regolith using the radiative transfer methods described in Hapke (2008) with optical constants for Mauna Kea palagonite (Clancy et al., 1995) as a substitute for unknown Martian regolith optical constants. Our technique, which uses the radiative transfer methods described in Shkuratov et al. (1999), seeks to eliminate the uncertainty that stems from not knowing the composition of the Martian regolith by using observations of the Martian soil before and after the water-ice has sublimated away. We use observations of the desiccated regolith sample to estimate its complex index of refraction from its spectrum. This removes any a priori assumptions of Martian regolith composition, limiting our free parameters to the estimated real index of refraction of the dry regolith at one specific wavelength, ice grain size, and regolith porosity. We can then model mixtures of regolith and water-ice, fitting to the original icy spectrum to estimate the ice abundance. To constrain the uncertainties in this technique, we performed laboratory measurements of the spectra of known mixtures of water-ice and dry soils as well as those of soils after desiccation with controlled viewing geometries. Finally, we applied the technique to Phoenix Surface Stereo Imager observations and estimated water-ice abundances consistent with pore-fill in the near-surface ice. This abundance is consistent with atmospheric diffusion, which has implications to our understanding of the history of water-ice on Mars and the role of the regolith at high latitudes as a reservoir of atmospheric H2O.

  15. Classification of sea ice types with single-band (33.6 GHz) airborne passive microwave imagery

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Eppler, Duane T.; Farmer, L. Dennis; Lohanick, Alan W.; Hoover, Mervyn

    1986-09-01

    During March 1983 extensive high-quality airborne passive Ka band (33.6 GHz) microwave imagery and coincident high-resolution aerial photography were obtained of ice along a 378-km flight line in the Beaufort Sea. Analysis of these data suggests that four classes of winter surfaces can be distinguished solely on the basis of 33.6-GHz brightness temperature: open water, frazil, old ice, and young/first-year ice. New ice (excluding frazil) and nilas display brightness temperatures that overlap the range of temperatures characteristic of old ice and, to a lesser extent, young/first-year ice. Scenes in which a new ice or nilas are present in appreciable amounts are subject to substantial errors in classification if static measures of Ka band radiometric brightness temperature alone are considered. Textural characteristics of nilas and new ice, however, differ significantly from textural features characteristic of other ice types and probably can be used with brightness temperature data to classify ice type in high-resolution single-band microwave images. In any case, open water is radiometrically the coldest surface observed in any scene. Lack of overlap between brightness temperatures characteristic of other surfaces indicates that estimates of the areal extent of open water based on only 33.6-GHz brightness temperatures are accurate.

  16. Increased Water Storage at Ice-stream Onsets: A Critical Mechanism?

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bindschadler, Robert; Choi, Hyeungu

    2007-01-01

    The interdependence of rapid ice flow, surface topography and the spatial distribution of subglacial water are examined by linking existing theories. The motivation is to investigate whether the acceleration of an ice-stream tributary contains a positive feedback that encourages the retention of subglacial water that leads to faster flow. Periodically varying surface and bed topographies are related through a linear ice-flow perturbation theory for various values of mean surface slope, perturbation amplitude and basal sliding speeds. The topographic variations lead to a periodic variation in hydraulic potential that is used to infer the tendency for subglacial water to be retained in local hydraulic potential minima. If water retention leads to enhanced basal sliding, a positive feedback loop is closed that could explain the transition from slower tributary flow to faster-streaming flow and the sustained downstream acceleration along the tributary-ice-stream system. A sensitivity study illustrates that the same range of topographic wavelengths most effectively transmitted from the bed to the surface also strongly influences the behavior of subglacial water. A lubrication index is defined to qualitatively measure the heterogeneity of the subglacial hydrologic system. Application of this index to field data shows that the transition from tributary to ice stream closely agrees with the location where subglacial water may be first stored.

  17. Could a new ice core offer an insight into the stability of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet during the last interglacial?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mulvaney, R.; Hindmarsh, R. C.

    2013-12-01

    Vaughan et al., in their 2011 paper 'Potential Seaways across West Antarctica' (Geochem. Geophys. Geosyst., 12, Q10004, doi:10.1029/2011GC003688), offer the intriguing prospect that substantial ice loss from the West Antarctic Ice Sheet during the previous interglacial period might have resulted in the opening of a seaway between the Weddell Sea and the Amundsen Sea. One of their potential seaways passes between the south western corner of the present Ronne Ice Shelf and the Pine Island Bay, through what is currently the course of the Rutford Ice Stream, between the Ellsworth Mountains and the Fletcher Promontory. To investigate whether this seaway could have existed (and to recover a paleoclimate and ice sheet history from the Weddell Sea), a team from the British Antarctic Survey and the Laboratoire de Glaciologie et Géophysique de l'Environnement drilled an ice core from a close to a topographic dome in the ice surface on the Fletcher Promontory in January 2012, reaching the bedrock at 654.3m depth from the surface. The site was selected to penetrate directly through the centre of a Raymond cupola observed in internal radar reflections from the ice sheet, with the intention that this would ensure we obtained the oldest ice available from the Fletcher Promontory. The basal ice sheet temperature measured was -18°C, implying the oldest ice would not have melted away from the base, while the configuration of the Raymond cupola in the radar horizons suggested stability in the ice dome topography during the majority of the Holocene. Our hypothesis is that chemical analysis of the ice core will reveal whether the site was ever relatively close to open sea water or ice shelf in the Rutford channel 20 km distant, rather than the current 700 km distance to sea ice/open water in either the Weddell Sea or the Amundsen Sea. While we do not yet have the chemistry data to test this hypothesis, in this poster we will discuss whether there is in reality any potential local

  18. Investigation of heterogeneous ice nucleation in pollen suspensions and washing water

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dreischmeier, Katharina; Budke, Carsten; Koop, Thomas

    2014-05-01

    Biological particles such as pollen often show ice nucleation activity at temperatures higher than -20 °C. Immersion freezing experiments of pollen washing water demonstrate comparable ice nucleation behaviour as water containing the whole pollen bodies (Pummer et al., 2012). It was suggested that polysaccharide molecules leached from the grains are responsible for the ice nucleation. Here, heterogeneous ice nucleation in birch pollen suspensions and their washing water was investigated by two different experimental methods. The optical freezing array BINARY (Bielefeld Ice Nucleation ARraY) allows the direct observation of freezing of microliter-sized droplets. The IN spectra obtained from such experiments with birch pollen suspensions over a large concentration range indicate several different ice nucleation active species, two of which are present also in the washing water. The latter was probed also in differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) experiments of emulsified sub-picoliter droplets. Due to the small droplet size in the emulsion samples and at small concentration of IN in the washing water, such DSC experiments can exhibit the ice nucleation behaviour of a single nucleus. The two heterogeneous freezing signals observed in the DSC thermograms can be assigned to two different kinds of ice nuclei, confirming the observation from the BINARY measurements, and also previous studies on Swedish birch pollen washing water (Augustin et al., 2012). The authors gratefully acknowledge funding by the German Research Foundation (DFG) through the project BIOCLOUDS (KO 2944/1-1) and through the research unit INUIT (FOR 1525) under KO 2944/2-1. We particularly thank our INUIT partners for fruitful collaboration and sharing of ideas and IN samples. S. Augustin, H. Wex, D. Niedermeier, B. Pummer, H. Grothe, S. Hartmann, L. Tomsche, T. Clauss, J. Voigtländer, K. Ignatius, and F. Stratmann, Immersion freezing of birch pollen washing water, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 13, 10989

  19. Forced convective melting at an evolving ice-water interface

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ramudu, Eshwan; Hirsh, Benjamin; Olson, Peter; Gnanadesikan, Anand

    2015-11-01

    The intrusion of warm Circumpolar Deep Water into the ocean cavity between the base of ice shelves and the sea bed in Antarctica causes melting at the ice shelves' basal surface, producing a turbulent melt plume. We conduct a series of laboratory experiments to investigate how the presence of forced convection (turbulent mixing) changes the delivery of heat to the ice-water interface. We also develop a theoretical model for the heat balance of the system that can be used to predict the change in ice thickness with time. In cases of turbulent mixing, the heat balance includes a term for turbulent heat transfer that depends on the friction velocity and an empirical coefficient. We obtain a new value for this coefficient by comparing the modeled ice thickness against measurements from a set of nine experiments covering one order of magnitude of Reynolds numbers. Our results are consistent with the altimetry-inferred melting rate under Antarctic ice shelves and can be used in climate models to predict their disintegration. This work was supported by NSF grant EAR-110371.

  20. Surface water hydrology and the Greenland Ice Sheet

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Smith, L. C.; Yang, K.; Pitcher, L. H.; Overstreet, B. T.; Chu, V. W.; Rennermalm, A. K.; Cooper, M. G.; Gleason, C. J.; Ryan, J.; Hubbard, A.; Tedesco, M.; Behar, A.

    2016-12-01

    Mass loss from the Greenland Ice Sheet now exceeds 260 Gt/year, raising global sea level by >0.7 mm annually. Approximately two-thirds of this total mass loss is now driven by negative ice sheet surface mass balance (SMB), attributed mainly to production and runoff of meltwater from the ice sheet surface. This new dominance of runoff as a driver of GrIS total mass loss will likely persist owing to anticipated further increases in surface melting, reduced meltwater storage in firn, and the waning importance of dynamical mass losses (ice calving) as the ice sheets retreat from their marine-terminating margins. It also creates the need and opportunity for integrative research pairing traditional surface water hydrology approaches with glaciology. As one example, we present a way to measure supraglacial "runoff" (i.e. specific discharge) at the supraglacial catchment scale ( 101-102 km2), using in situ measurements of supraglacial river discharge and high-resolution satellite/drone mapping of upstream catchment area. This approach, which is standard in terrestrial hydrology but novel for ice sheet science, enables independent verification and improvement of modeled SMB runoff estimates used to project sea level rise. Furthermore, because current SMB models do not consider the role of fluvial watershed processes operating on the ice surface, inclusion of even a simple surface routing model materially improves simulations of runoff delivered to moulins, the critical pathways for meltwater entry into the ice sheet. Incorporating principles of surface water hydrology and fluvial geomorphology and into glaciological models will thus aid estimates of Greenland meltwater runoff to the global ocean as well as connections to subglacial hydrology and ice sheet dynamics.

  1. ICESat Observations of Arctic Sea Ice: A First Look

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kwok, Ron; Zwally, H. Jay; Yi, Dong-Hui

    2004-01-01

    Analysis of near-coincident ICESat and RADARSAT imagery shows that the retrieved elevations from the laser altimeter are sensitive to new openings (containing thin ice or open water) in the sea ice cover as well as to surface relief of old and first-year ice. The precision of the elevation estimates, measured over relatively flat sea ice, is approx. 2 cm Using the thickness of thin-ice in recent openings to estimate sea level references, we obtain the sea-ice free-board along the altimeter tracks. This step is necessitated by the large uncertainties in the time-varying sea surface topography compared to that required for accurate determination of free-board. Unknown snow depth introduces the largest uncertainty in the conversion of free-board to ice thickness. Surface roughness is also derived, for the first time, from the variability of successive elevation estimates along the altimeter track Overall, these ICESat measurements provide an unprecedented view of the Arctic Ocean ice cover at length scales at and above the spatial dimension of the altimeter footprint.

  2. The phase diagram of water at negative pressures: virtual ices.

    PubMed

    Conde, M M; Vega, C; Tribello, G A; Slater, B

    2009-07-21

    The phase diagram of water at negative pressures as obtained from computer simulations for two models of water, TIP4P/2005 and TIP5P is presented. Several solid structures with lower densities than ice Ih, so-called virtual ices, were considered as possible candidates to occupy the negative pressure region of the phase diagram of water. In particular the empty hydrate structures sI, sII, and sH and another, recently proposed, low-density ice structure. The relative stabilities of these structures at 0 K was determined using empirical water potentials and density functional theory calculations. By performing free energy calculations and Gibbs-Duhem integration the phase diagram of TIP4P/2005 was determined at negative pressures. The empty hydrates sII and sH appear to be the stable solid phases of water at negative pressures. The phase boundary between ice Ih and sII clathrate occurs at moderate negative pressures, while at large negative pressures sH becomes the most stable phase. This behavior is in reasonable agreement with what is observed in density functional theory calculations.

  3. Coupling of Waves, Turbulence and Thermodynamics Across the Marginal Ice Zone

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2013-09-30

    ice . The albedo of sea ice is large compared to open water, and most of the incoming solar radiation...ocean and the ice pack where the seasonal retreat of the main ice pack takes place. It is a highly variable sea ice environment, usually comprised of...many individual floes of variable shape and size and made of mixed ice types, from young forming ice to fragmented multiyear ice . The presence of sea

  4. Cavitation and water fluxes driven by ice water potential in Juglans regia during freeze–thaw cycles

    PubMed Central

    Charra-Vaskou, Katline; Badel, Eric; Charrier, Guillaume; Ponomarenko, Alexandre; Bonhomme, Marc; Foucat, Loïc; Mayr, Stefan; Améglio, Thierry

    2016-01-01

    Freeze–thaw cycles induce major hydraulic changes due to liquid-to-ice transition within tree stems. The very low water potential at the ice–liquid interface is crucial as it may cause lysis of living cells as well as water fluxes and embolism in sap conduits, which impacts whole tree–water relations. We investigated water fluxes induced by ice formation during freeze–thaw cycles in Juglans regia L. stems using four non-invasive and complementary approaches: a microdendrometer, magnetic resonance imaging, X-ray microtomography, and ultrasonic acoustic emissions analysis. When the temperature dropped, ice nucleation occurred, probably in the cambium or pith areas, inducing high water potential gradients within the stem. The water was therefore redistributed within the stem toward the ice front. We could thus observe dehydration of the bark’s living cells leading to drastic shrinkage of this tissue, as well as high tension within wood conduits reaching the cavitation threshold in sap vessels. Ultrasonic emissions, which were strictly emitted only during freezing, indicated cavitation events (i.e. bubble formation) following ice formation in the xylem sap. However, embolism formation (i.e. bubble expansion) in stems was observed only on thawing via X-ray microtomography for the first time on the same sample. Ultrasonic emissions were detected during freezing and were not directly related to embolism formation. These results provide new insights into the complex process and dynamics of water movements and ice formation during freeze–thaw cycles in tree stems. PMID:26585223

  5. NASA finds Shrimp Under Antarctic Ice [Video

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2017-12-08

    At a depth of 600 feet beneath the West Antarctic ice sheet, a small shrimp-like creature managed to brighten up an otherwise gray polar day in late November 2009. This critter is a three-inch long Lyssianasid amphipod found beneath the Ross Ice Shelf, about 12.5 miles away from open water. NASA scientists were using a borehole camera to look back up towards the ice surface when they spotted this pinkish-orange creature swimming beneath the ice. Credit: NASA

  6. Present-day Exposures of Water Ice in the Northern Mid-latitudes of Mars

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Allen, Carlton C.; Kanner, Lisa C.

    2007-01-01

    Water ice is exposed in the martian north polar cap, but is rarely exposed beyond the cap boundary. Orbital gamma ray spectrometry data strongly imply the presence of water ice within meters of the surface at latitudes north of approximately 60deg. We have examined mid-latitude areas of the northern plains displaying residual ice-rich layers, and report evidence of present-day surface exposures of water ice. These exposures, if confirmed, could con-strain the latitudinal and temporal stability of surface ice on Mars.

  7. Surface water mass composition changes captured by cores of Arctic land-fast sea ice

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Smith, I. J.; Eicken, H.; Mahoney, A. R.; Van Hale, R.; Gough, A. J.; Fukamachi, Y.; Jones, J.

    2016-04-01

    In the Arctic, land-fast sea ice growth can be influenced by fresher water from rivers and residual summer melt. This paper examines a method to reconstruct changes in water masses using oxygen isotope measurements of sea ice cores. To determine changes in sea water isotope composition over the course of the ice growth period, the output of a sea ice thermodynamic model (driven with reanalysis data, observations of snow depth, and freeze-up dates) is used along with sea ice oxygen isotope measurements and an isotopic fractionation model. Direct measurements of sea ice growth rates are used to validate the output of the sea ice growth model. It is shown that for sea ice formed during the 2011/2012 ice growth season at Barrow, Alaska, large changes in isotopic composition of the ocean waters were captured by the sea ice isotopic composition. Salinity anomalies in the ocean were also tracked by moored instruments. These data indicate episodic advection of meteoric water, having both lower salinity and lower oxygen isotopic composition, during the winter sea ice growth season. Such advection of meteoric water during winter is surprising, as no surface meltwater and no local river discharge should be occurring at this time of year in that area. How accurately changes in water masses as indicated by oxygen isotope composition can be reconstructed using oxygen isotope analysis of sea ice cores is addressed, along with methods/strategies that could be used to further optimize the results. The method described will be useful for winter detection of meteoric water presence in Arctic fast ice regions, which is important for climate studies in a rapidly changing Arctic. Land-fast sea ice effective fractionation coefficients were derived, with a range of +1.82‰ to +2.52‰. Those derived effective fractionation coefficients will be useful for future water mass component proportion calculations. In particular, the equations given can be used to inform choices made when

  8. The Contribution of Water Ice Clouds to the Water Cycle in the North Polar Region of Mars: Preliminary Analysis

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bass, D. S.; Tamppari, L. K.

    2000-01-01

    While it has long been known that Mars' north residual polar cap and the Martian regolith are significant sources of atmospheric water vapor, the amount of water vapor observed in the northern spring season by the Viking Mars Atmospheric Water Detector instrument (MAWD) cannot be attributed to cap and regolith sources alone. Kahn suggested that ice hazes may be the mechanism by which additional water is supplied to the Martian atmosphere. Additionally, a significant decrease in atmospheric water vapor was observed in the late northern summer that could not be correlated with the return of the cold seasonal C02 ice. While the detection of water ice clouds on Mars indicate that water exists in Mars' atmosphere in several different phases, the extent to which water ice clouds play a role in moving water through the Martian atmosphere remains uncertain. Work by Bass et. al. suggested that the time dependence of water ice cap seasonal variability and the increase in atmospheric water vapor depended on the polar cap center reaching 200K, the night time saturation temperature. Additionally, they demonstrated that a decrease in atmospheric water vapor may be attributed to deposition of water ice onto the surface of the polar cap; temperatures were still too warm at this time in the summer for the deposition of carbon dioxide. However, whether water ice clouds contribute significantly to this variability is unknown. Additional information is contained in original extended abstract.

  9. Rheology of water ices V and VI

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Durham, W.B.; Stern, L.A.; Kirby, S.H.

    1996-01-01

    We have measured the mechanical strength (??) of pure water ices V and VI under steady state deformation conditions. Constant displacement rate compressional tests were conducted in a gas apparatus at confining pressures from 400 250 K. Ices V and VI are thus Theologically distinct but by coincidence have approximately the same strength under the conditions chosen for these experiments. To avoid misidentification, these tests are therefore accompanied by careful observations of the occurrences and characteristics of phase changes. One sample each of ice V and VI was quenched at pressure to metastably retain the high-pressure phase and the acquired deformation microstructures; X ray diffraction analysis of these samples confirmed the phase identification. Surface replicas of the deformed and quenched samples suggest that ice V probably deforms largely by dislocation creep, while ice VI deforms by a more complicated process involving substantial grain size reduction through recrystallization.

  10. Turbulent properties under sloping Ice-wall in polar water

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mondal, Mainak; Gayen, Bishakhdatta; Griffiths, Ross W.; Kerr, Ross C.

    2017-11-01

    Ice-shelves around West Antarctic basins are the most vulnerable to melting in the presence of warmer continental shelf water. A large extent of slope exists under these ice-shelves, where turbulent transport of salt and heat into the ice wall drives a convective melt-water plume against it. Large scale ice-ocean models neglect the effect of convection which can lead to a wrong estimation of melt rate. We perform direct numerical simulations under sloping ice-shelves with realistic ambient conditions. We estimated the melt rates, boundary layer thicknesses and entrainment coefficients as a function of slope angle. The numerical results are further supported by theoretical predictions. Over the range of slope angles, different mechanisms are active for sustaining turbulence. For near vertical case, buoyancy production is the primary source of turbulent kinetic energy whereas for shallower angles turbulence is produced by velocity shear in the meltwater plume. Australian Research Council.

  11. Wave excited motion of a body floating on water confined between two semi-infinite ice sheets

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ren, K.; Wu, G. X.; Thomas, G. A.

    2016-12-01

    The wave excited motion of a body floating on water confined between two semi-infinite ice sheets is investigated. The ice sheet is treated as an elastic thin plate and water is treated as an ideal and incompressible fluid. The linearized velocity potential theory is adopted in the frequency domain and problems are solved by the method of matched eigenfunctions expansion. The fluid domain is divided into sub-regions and in each sub-region the velocity potential is expanded into a series of eigenfunctions satisfying the governing equation and the boundary conditions on horizontal planes including the free surface and ice sheets. Matching is conducted at the interfaces of two neighbouring regions to ensure the continuity of the pressure and velocity, and the unknown coefficients in the expressions are obtained as a result. The behaviour of the added mass and damping coefficients of the floating body with the effect of the ice sheets and the excitation force are analysed. They are found to vary oscillatorily with the wave number, which is different from that for a floating body in the open sea. The motion of the body confined between ice sheets is investigated, in particular its resonant behaviour with extremely large motion found to be possible under certain conditions. Standing waves within the polynya are also observed.

  12. Effects of sea-ice and biogeochemical processes and storms on under-ice water fCO2 during the winter-spring transition in the high Arctic Ocean: Implications for sea-air CO2 fluxes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fransson, Agneta; Chierici, Melissa; Skjelvan, Ingunn; Olsen, Are; Assmy, Philipp; Peterson, Algot K.; Spreen, Gunnar; Ward, Brian

    2017-07-01

    We performed measurements of carbon dioxide fugacity (fCO2) in the surface water under Arctic sea ice from January to June 2015 during the Norwegian young sea ICE (N-ICE2015) expedition. Over this period, the ship drifted with four different ice floes and covered the deep Nansen Basin, the slopes north of Svalbard, and the Yermak Plateau. This unique winter-to-spring data set includes the first winter-time under-ice water fCO2 observations in this region. The observed under-ice fCO2 ranged between 315 µatm in winter and 153 µatm in spring, hence was undersaturated relative to the atmospheric fCO2. Although the sea ice partly prevented direct CO2 exchange between ocean and atmosphere, frequently occurring leads and breakup of the ice sheet promoted sea-air CO2 fluxes. The CO2 sink varied between 0.3 and 86 mmol C m-2 d-1, depending strongly on the open-water fractions (OW) and storm events. The maximum sea-air CO2 fluxes occurred during storm events in February and June. In winter, the main drivers of the change in under-ice water fCO2 were dissolution of CaCO3 (ikaite) and vertical mixing. In June, in addition to these processes, primary production and sea-air CO2 fluxes were important. The cumulative loss due to CaCO3 dissolution of 0.7 mol C m-2 in the upper 10 m played a major role in sustaining the undersaturation of fCO2 during the entire study. The relative effects of the total fCO2 change due to CaCO3 dissolution was 38%, primary production 26%, vertical mixing 16%, sea-air CO2 fluxes 16%, and temperature and salinity insignificant.

  13. A numerical model for water and heat transport in freezing soils with nonequilibrium ice-water interfaces

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Peng, Zhenyang; Tian, Fuqiang; Wu, Jingwei; Huang, Jiesheng; Hu, Hongchang; Darnault, Christophe J. G.

    2016-09-01

    A one-dimensional numerical model of heat and water transport in freezing soils is developed by assuming that ice-water interfaces are not necessarily in equilibrium. The Clapeyron equation, which is derived from a static ice-water interface using the thermal equilibrium theory, cannot be readily applied to a dynamic system, such as freezing soils. Therefore, we handled the redistribution of liquid water with the Richard's equation. In this application, the sink term is replaced by the freezing rate of pore water, which is proportional to the extent of supercooling and available water content for freezing by a coefficient, β. Three short-term laboratory column simulations show reasonable agreement with observations, with standard error of simulation on water content ranging between 0.007 and 0.011 cm3 cm-3, showing improved accuracy over other models that assume equilibrium ice-water interfaces. Simulation results suggest that when the freezing front is fixed at a specific depth, deviation of the ice-water interface from equilibrium, at this location, will increase with time. However, this deviation tends to weaken when the freezing front slowly penetrates to a greater depth, accompanied with thinner soils of significant deviation. The coefficient, β, plays an important role in the simulation of heat and water transport. A smaller β results in a larger deviation in the ice-water interface from equilibrium, and backward estimation of the freezing front. It also leads to an underestimation of water content in soils that were previously frozen by a rapid freezing rate, and an overestimation of water content in the rest of the soils.

  14. Compression Freezing Kinetics of Water to Ice VII

    DOE PAGES

    Gleason, A. E.; Bolme, C. A.; Galtier, E.; ...

    2017-07-11

    Time-resolved x-ray diffraction (XRD) of compressed liquid water shows transformation to ice VII in 6 nsec, revealing crystallization rather than amorphous solidification during compression freezing. Application of classical nucleation theory indicates heterogeneous nucleation and one-dimensional (e.g., needlelike) growth. In conclusion, these first XRD data demonstrate rapid growth kinetics of ice VII with implications for fundamental physics of diffusion-mediated crystallization and thermodynamic modeling of collision or impact events on ice-rich planetary bodies.

  15. Compression Freezing Kinetics of Water to Ice VII

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Gleason, A. E.; Bolme, C. A.; Galtier, E.

    Time-resolved x-ray diffraction (XRD) of compressed liquid water shows transformation to ice VII in 6 nsec, revealing crystallization rather than amorphous solidification during compression freezing. Application of classical nucleation theory indicates heterogeneous nucleation and one-dimensional (e.g., needlelike) growth. In conclusion, these first XRD data demonstrate rapid growth kinetics of ice VII with implications for fundamental physics of diffusion-mediated crystallization and thermodynamic modeling of collision or impact events on ice-rich planetary bodies.

  16. A simulation study of homogeneous ice nucleation in supercooled salty water

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Soria, Guiomar D.; Espinosa, Jorge R.; Ramirez, Jorge; Valeriani, Chantal; Vega, Carlos; Sanz, Eduardo

    2018-06-01

    We use computer simulations to investigate the effect of salt on homogeneous ice nucleation. The melting point of the employed solution model was obtained both by direct coexistence simulations and by thermodynamic integration from previous calculations of the water chemical potential. Using a seeding approach, in which we simulate ice seeds embedded in a supercooled aqueous solution, we compute the nucleation rate as a function of temperature for a 1.85 NaCl mol per water kilogram solution at 1 bar. To improve the accuracy and reliability of our calculations, we combine seeding with the direct computation of the ice-solution interfacial free energy at coexistence using the Mold Integration method. We compare the results with previous simulation work on pure water to understand the effect caused by the solute. The model captures the experimental trend that the nucleation rate at a given supercooling decreases when adding salt. Despite the fact that the thermodynamic driving force for ice nucleation is higher for salty water for a given supercooling, the nucleation rate slows down with salt due to a significant increase of the ice-fluid interfacial free energy. The salty water model predicts an ice nucleation rate that is in good agreement with experimental measurements, bringing confidence in the predictive ability of the model. We expect that the combination of state-of-the-art simulation methods here employed to study ice nucleation from solution will be of much use in forthcoming numerical investigations of crystallization in mixtures.

  17. A simulation study of homogeneous ice nucleation in supercooled salty water.

    PubMed

    Soria, Guiomar D; Espinosa, Jorge R; Ramirez, Jorge; Valeriani, Chantal; Vega, Carlos; Sanz, Eduardo

    2018-06-14

    We use computer simulations to investigate the effect of salt on homogeneous ice nucleation. The melting point of the employed solution model was obtained both by direct coexistence simulations and by thermodynamic integration from previous calculations of the water chemical potential. Using a seeding approach, in which we simulate ice seeds embedded in a supercooled aqueous solution, we compute the nucleation rate as a function of temperature for a 1.85 NaCl mol per water kilogram solution at 1 bar. To improve the accuracy and reliability of our calculations, we combine seeding with the direct computation of the ice-solution interfacial free energy at coexistence using the Mold Integration method. We compare the results with previous simulation work on pure water to understand the effect caused by the solute. The model captures the experimental trend that the nucleation rate at a given supercooling decreases when adding salt. Despite the fact that the thermodynamic driving force for ice nucleation is higher for salty water for a given supercooling, the nucleation rate slows down with salt due to a significant increase of the ice-fluid interfacial free energy. The salty water model predicts an ice nucleation rate that is in good agreement with experimental measurements, bringing confidence in the predictive ability of the model. We expect that the combination of state-of-the-art simulation methods here employed to study ice nucleation from solution will be of much use in forthcoming numerical investigations of crystallization in mixtures.

  18. Detection of cryogenic water ice contaminants and the IR AI&T environment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lynch, David K.; Russell, Ray W.

    2000-12-01

    Several remote sensing/infrared space surveillance programs in the midst of assembly, integration and test have recently experienced delays when water vapor was deposited as ice on cold surfaces in a sensor under test or calibration. When these surfaces were at critical locations, the sensitivity or response of the sensor decreased significantly because the ice absorbed the incoming signal. The source of water vapor could be from a chamber leak or outgassing from the sensor system or the vacuum chamber itself. In order to quantify the effects of ice deposits on signals in various spectral bands, published optical constants for amorphous and crystalline water ice have been used to calculate the transmission of water ice films as a function of wavelength from 1 to 20 microns. The results are presented in two ways: spectra of the physical thickness of a layer of ice whose absorption optical depth is unity, and transmission spectra for several characteristic layer thicknesses. These tools can be used in estimating the amount of ice - and by inference water vapor - present in the system. Related calculations can also be used to assess the probability that a given hardware setup or resulting data set is showing signs of degradation of response due to ice absorption, and the implications for those trying to interpret the results.

  19. Space Radar Image of Weddell Sea Ice

    NASA Image and Video Library

    1999-04-15

    This is the first calibrated, multi-frequency, multi-polarization spaceborne radar image of the seasonal sea-ice cover in the Weddell Sea, Antarctica. The multi-channel data provide scientists with details about the ice pack they cannot see any other way and indicates that the large expanse of sea-ice is, in fact, comprised of many smaller rounded ice floes, shown in blue-gray. These data are particularly useful in helping scientists estimate the thickness of the ice cover which is often extremely difficult to measure with other remote sensing systems. The extent, and especially thickness, of the polar ocean's sea-ice cover together have important implications for global climate by regulating the loss of heat from the ocean to the cold polar atmosphere. The image was acquired on October 3, 1994, by the Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C/X-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SIR-C/X-SAR) onboard the space shuttle Endeavour. This image is produced by overlaying three channels of radar data in the following colors: red (C-band, HH-polarization), green (L-band HV-polarization), and blue (L-band, HH-polarization). The image is oriented almost east-west with a center location of 58.2 degrees South and 21.6 degrees East. Image dimensions are 45 kilometers by 18 kilometers (28 miles by 11 miles). Most of the ice cover is composed of rounded, undeformed blue-gray floes, about 0.7 meters (2 feet) thick, which are surrounded by a jumble of red-tinged deformed ice pieces which are up to 2 meters (7 feet) thick. The winter cycle of ice growth and deformation often causes this ice cover to split apart, exposing open water or "leads." Ice growth within these openings is rapid due to the cold, brisk Antarctic atmosphere. Different stages of new-ice growth can be seen within the linear leads, resulting from continuous opening and closing. The blue lines within the leads are open water areas in new fractures which are roughened by wind. The bright red lines are an intermediate stage of new-ice

  20. Identification of water ice on the Centaur 1997 CU26.

    PubMed

    Brown, R H; Cruikshank, D P; Pendleton, Y; Veeder, G J

    1998-05-29

    Spectra of the Centaur 1997 CU26 were obtained at the Keck Observatory on 27 October 1997 (universal time). The data show strong absorptions at 1.52 and 2.03 micrometers attributable to water ice on the surface of 1997 CU26. The reflectance spectrum of 1997 CU26 is matched by the spectrum of a mixture of low-temperature, particulate water ice and spectrally featureless but otherwise red-colored material. Water ice dominates the spectrum of 1997 CU26, whereas methane or methane-like hydrocarbons apparently dominate the spectrum of the Kuiper belt object 1993 SC, perhaps indicating different origins, thermal histories, or both for these two objects.

  1. The Growth, Structure, and Properties of Sea Ice,

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1982-11-01

    First, the natural range of temperatures at which sea ice exists is just a few degrees off its melting point. In fact, sea ice normally is only...surface of lakes and seas. If ice sank into its melt, as do most solids, there would be a tendency for natural water bodies to freeze completely to...I I I -c 1 I II I I 02 b . Figure 1. Structure of ice I. The fact that ordinary ice is such an open, low density solid also suggests that

  2. Wave-ice interaction, observed and modelled

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gemmrich, Johannes

    2017-04-01

    The need for wide-spread, up-to-date sea state predictions and observations in the emerging ice-free Arctic will further increase as the region will open up to marine operations. Wave models for arctic regions have to capture the additional wave physics associated with wave-ice interactions, and different prediction schemes have to be tested against observations. Here we present examples of spatial wave field parameters obtained from TerraSAR-X StripMap swaths in the southern Beaufort Sea taken as part of the "Arctic Sea State and Boundary Layer DRI". Fetch evolution of the significant wave height and length in open waters, and dominant wave lengths and the high frequency cut-off of the wave spectrum in ice are readily extracted from the SAR (synthetic aperture radar) data. A surprising result is that wave evolution in off-ice wind conditions is more rapidly than the fetch evolution in off-land cases, suggesting seeding of the wave field within the ice-covered region.

  3. Influence of antifreeze proteins on the ice/water interface.

    PubMed

    Todde, Guido; Hovmöller, Sven; Laaksonen, Aatto

    2015-02-26

    Antifreeze proteins (AFP) are responsible for the survival of several species, ranging from bacteria to fish, that encounter subzero temperatures in their living environment. AFPs have been divided into two main families, moderately and hyperactive, depending on their thermal hysteresis activity. We have studied one protein from both families, the AFP from the snow flea (sfAFP) and from the winter flounder (wfAFP), which belong to the hyperactive and moderately active family, respectively. On the basis of molecular dynamics simulations, we have estimated the thickness of the water/ice interface for systems both with and without the AFPs attached onto the ice surface. The calculation of the diffusion profiles along the simulation box allowed us to measure the interface width for different ice planes. The obtained widths clearly show a different influence of the two AFPs on the ice/water interface. The different impact of the AFPs here studied on the interface thickness can be related to two AFPs properties: the protein hydrophobic surface and the number of hydrogen bonds that the two AFPs faces form with water molecules.

  4. The Distribution of Basal Water Beneath the Greenland Ice Sheet from Radio-Echo Sounding

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jordan, T.; Williams, C.; Schroeder, D. M.; Martos, Y. M.; Cooper, M.; Siegert, M. J.; Paden, J. D.; Huybrechts, P.; Bamber, J. L.

    2017-12-01

    There is widespread, but often indirect, evidence that a significant fraction of the Greenland Ice Sheet is thawed at the bed. This includes major outlet glaciers and around the NorthGRIP ice-core in the interior. However, the ice-sheet-wide distribution of basal water is poorly constrained by existing observations, and the spatial relationship between basal water and other ice-sheet and subglacial properties is therefore largely unexplored. In principle, airborne radio-echo sounding (RES) surveys provide the necessary information and spatial coverage to infer the presence of basal water at the ice-sheet scale. However, due to uncertainty and spatial variation in radar signal attenuation, the commonly used water diagnostic, bed-echo reflectivity, is highly ambiguous and prone to spatial bias. Here we introduce a new RES diagnostic for the presence of basal water which incorporates both sharp step-transitions and rapid fluctuations in bed-echo reflectivity. This has the advantage of being (near) independent of attenuation model, and enables a decade of recent Operation Ice Bride RES survey data to be combined in a single map for basal water. The ice-sheet-wide water predictions are compared with: bed topography and drainage network structure, existing knowledge of the thermal state and geothermal heat flux, and ice velocity. In addition to the fast flowing ice-sheet margins, we also demonstrate widespread water routing and storage in parts of the slow-flowing northern interior. Notably, this includes a quasi-linear `corridor' of basal water, extending from NorthGRIP to Petermann glacier, which spatially correlates with a region of locally high (magnetic-derived) geothermal heat flux. The predicted water distribution places a new constraint upon the basal thermal state of the Greenland Ice Sheet, and could be used as an input for ice-sheet model simulations.

  5. Water Ice Clouds over the Northern Plains

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2002-01-01

    (Released 14 May 2002) The Science This image, centered near 48.5 N and 240.5 W, displays splotchy water ice clouds that obscure the northern lowland plains in the region where the Viking 2 spacecraft landed. This image is far enough north to catch the edge of the north polar hood that develops during the northern winter. This is a cap of water and carbon dioxide ice clouds that form over the Martian north pole. As Mars progresses into northern spring, the persistent north polar hood ice clouds will dissipate and the surface viewing conditions will improve greatly. As the season develops, an equatorial belt of water ice clouds will form. This belt of water ice clouds is as characteristic of the Martian climate as the southern hemisphere summer dust storm season. Seasons on Mars have a dramatic effect on the state of the dynamic Martian atmosphere. The Story Muted in an almost air-brushed manner, this image doesn't have the crispness that most THEMIS images have. That's because clouds were rising over the surface of the red planet on the day this picture was taken. Finding clouds on Mars might remind us of conditions here on Earth, but these Martian clouds are made of frozen water and frozen carbon dioxide -- in other words, clouds of ice and 'dry ice.' Strange as that may sound, the clouds seen here form on a pretty regular basis at the north Martian pole during its winter season. As springtime comes to the northern hemisphere of Mars (and fall comes to the southern), these clouds will slowly disappear, and a nice belt of water ice clouds will form around the equator. So, if you were a THEMIS camera aimer, that might tell you when your best viewing conditions for different areas on Mars would be. As interesting as clear pictures of Martian landforms are, however, you wouldn't want to bypass the weather altogether. Pictures showing seasonal shifts are great for scientists to study, because they reveal a lot about the patterns of the Martian climate and the

  6. Sea Ice, Climate and Fram Strait

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hunkins, K.

    1984-01-01

    When sea ice is formed the albedo of the ocean surface increases from its open water value of about 0.1 to a value as high as 0.8. This albedo change effects the radiation balance and thus has the potential to alter climate. Sea ice also partially seals off the ocean from the atmosphere, reducing the exchange of gases such as carbon dioxide. This is another possible mechanism by which climate might be affected. The Marginal Ice Zone Experiment (MIZEX 83 to 84) is an international, multidisciplinary study of processes controlling the edge of the ice pack in that area including the interactions between sea, air and ice.

  7. Maiden Voyage of the Under-Ice Float

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shcherbina, A.; D'Asaro, E. A.; Light, B.; Deming, J. W.; Rehm, E.

    2016-02-01

    The Under-Ice Float (UIF) is a new autonomous platform for sea ice and upper ocean observations in the marginal ice zone (MIZ). UIF is based on the Mixed Layer Lagrangian Float design, inheriting its accurate buoyancy control and relatively heavy payload capability. A major challenge for sustained autonomous observations in the MIZ is detection of open water for navigation and telemetry surfacings. UIF employs the new surface classification algorithm based on the spectral analysis of surface roughness sensed by an upward-looking sonar. A prototype UIF was deployed in the MIZ of the central Arctic Ocean in late August 2015. The main payload of the first UIF was a bio-optical suit consisting of upward- and downward hyperspectral radiometers; temperature, salinity, chlorophyll, turbidity, and dissolved oxygen sensors, and a high-definition photo camera. In the early stages of its mission, the float successfully avoided ice, detected leads, surfaced in open water, and transmitted data and photographs. We will present the analysis of these observations from the full UIF mission extending into the freeze-up season.

  8. Polyamorphism in Water: Amorphous Ices and their Glassy States

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Amann-Winkel, K.; Boehmer, R.; Fujara, F.; Gainaru, C.; Geil, B.; Loerting, T.

    2015-12-01

    Water is ubiquitous and of general importance for our environment. But it is also known as the most anomalous liquid. The fundamental origin of the numerous anomalies of water is still under debate. An understanding of these anomalous properties of water is closely linked to an understanding of the phase diagram of the metastable non-crystalline states of ice. The process of pressure induced amorphization of ice was first observed by Mishima et al. [1]. The authors pressurized hexagonal ice at 77 K up to a pressure of 1.6 GPa to form high density amorphous ice (HDA). So far three distinct structural states of amorphous water are known [2], they are called low- (LDA), high- (HDA) and very high density amorphous ice (VHDA). Since the discovery of multiple distinct amorphous states it is controversy discussed whether this phenomenon of polyamorphism at high pressures is connected to the occurrence of more than one supercooled liquid phase [3]. Alternatively, amorphous ices have been suggested to be of nanocrystalline nature, unrelated to liquids. Indeed inelastic X-ray scattering measurements indicate sharp crystal-like phonons in the amorphous ices [4]. In case of LDA the connection to the low-density liquid (LDL) was inferred from several experiments including the observation of a calorimetric glass-to-liquid transition at 136 K and ambient pressure [5]. Recently also the glass transition in HDA was observed at 116 K at ambient pressure [6] and at 140 K at elevated pressure of 1 GPa [7], using calorimetric measurements as well as dielectric spectroscopy. We discuss here the general importance of amorphous ices and their liquid counterparts and present calorimetric and dielectric measurements on LDA and HDA. The good agreement between dielectric and calorimetric results convey for a clearer picture of water's vitrification phenomenon. [1] O. Mishima, L. D. Calvert, and E. Whalley, Nature 314, 76, 1985 [2] D.T. Bowron, J. L. Finney, A. Hallbrucker, et al., J. Chem

  9. A coupled ice-ocean model of upwelling in the marginal ice zone

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Roed, L. P.; Obrien, J. J.

    1983-01-01

    A dynamical coupled ice-ocean numerical model for the marginal ice zone (MIZ) is suggested and used to study upwelling dynamics in the MIZ. The nonlinear sea ice model has a variable ice concentration and includes internal ice stress. The model is forced by stresses on the air/ocean and air/ice surfaces. The main coupling between the ice and the ocean is in the form of an interfacial stress on the ice/ocean interface. The ocean model is a linear reduced gravity model. The wind stress exerted by the atmosphere on the ocean is proportional to the fraction of open water, while the interfacial stress ice/ocean is proportional to the concentration of ice. A new mechanism for ice edge upwelling is suggested based on a geostrophic equilibrium solution for the sea ice medium. The upwelling reported in previous models invoking a stationary ice cover is shown to be replaced by a weak downwelling due to the ice motion. Most of the upwelling dynamics can be understood by analysis of the divergence of the across ice edge upper ocean transport. On the basis of numerical model, an analytical model is suggested that reproduces most of the upwelling dynamics of the more complex numerical model.

  10. Numerical model of ice melange expansion during abrupt ice-shelf collapse

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Guttenberg, N.; Abbot, D. S.; Amundson, J. M.; Burton, J. C.; Cathles, L. M.; Macayeal, D. R.; Zhang, W.

    2010-12-01

    Satellite imagery of the February 2008 Wilkins Ice-Shelf Collapse event reveals that a large percentage of the involved ice shelf was converted to capsized icebergs and broken fragments of icebergs over a relatively short period of time, possibly less than 24 hours. The extreme violence and short time scale of the event, and the considerable reduction of gravitational potential energy between upright and capsized icebergs, suggests that iceberg capsize might be an important driving mechanism controlling both the rate and spatial extent of ice shelf collapse. To investigate this suggestion, we have constructed an idealized, 2-dimensional model of a disintegrating ice shelf composed of a large number (N~100 to >1000) of initially well-packed icebergs of rectangular cross section. The model geometry consists of a longitudinal cross section of the idealized ice shelf from grounding line (or the upstream extent of ice-shelf fragmentation) to seaward ice front, and includes the region beyond the initial ice front to cover the open, ice-free water into which the collapsing ice shelf expands. The seawater in which the icebergs float is treated as a hydrostatic fluid in the computation of iceberg orientation (e.g., the evaluation of buoyancy forces and torques), thereby eliminating the complexities of free-surface waves, but net horizontal drift of the icebergs is resisted by a linear drag law designed to energy dissipation by viscous forces and surface-gravity-wave radiation. Icebergs interact via both elastic and inelastic contacts (typically a corner of one iceberg will scrape along the face of its neighbor). Ice-shelf collapse in the model is embodied by the mass capsize of a large proportion of the initially packed icebergs and the consequent advancement of the ice front (leading edge). Model simulations are conducted to examine (a) the threshold of stability (e.g., what density of initially capsizable icebergs is needed to allow a small perturbation to the system

  11. Sea ice and surface water circulation, Alaskan continental shelf

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wright, F. F. (Principal Investigator); Sharma, G. D.; Burns, J. J.

    1973-01-01

    The author has identified the following significant results. Sediments contributed by the Copper River in the Gulf of Alaska are carried westward along the shore as a distinct plume. Oceanic water relatively poor in suspended material appears to intrude near Montague Island, and turbid water between Middleton Island and Kayak Island is the result of Ekman between transport. An anticlockwise surface water circulation is observed in this region. Ground truth data indicate striking similarity with ERTS-1 imagery obtained on October 12, 1972. Observations of ERTS-1 imagery reveal that various characteristics and distribution of sea ice in the Arctic Ocean can be easily studied. Formation of different types of sea ice and their movement is quite discrenible. Sea ice moves parallel to the cost in near shore areas and to the northerly direction away from the coast.

  12. Atlantic Water Advection and Ice Sheet-Ocean Feedbacks in the Arctic Ocean During the Last 200 ky

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Spielhagen, R. F.; Mackensen, A.; Stein, R. H.

    2016-12-01

    Earlier work on Arctic deep-sea cores from the eastern Lomonosov Ridge and the Morris Jesup Rise had revealed that large-scale Eurasian ice sheet growth was initiated at times with seasonally open waters in the Arctic Ocean, indicating a role for the ocean in nearby ice sheet development in the last 200 ky. Here we present microfossil and geochemical data from new sediment cores obtained from the western and easternmost Lomonosov Ridge during the PS87 expedition (2014) of RV Polarstern, amended by data from refined analyses of the older cores. They allow to investigate in more detail the feedbacks between Atlantic Water (AW) advection, sea ice, and ice sheets. In all cores, high microfossil abundances are found just below layers rich in iceberg-rafted detritus, supporting the hypothesis of Arctic Ocean moisture supply for the growth of Eurasian ice sheets. On the other hand, the new microfaunal results suggest that the decay of the ice sheets and the enhanced freshwater discharge to the Arctic may have influenced the routing of subsurface AW in the Arctic Ocean, at least during marine isotope (sub)stages (MIS) 5a and 5e. In the early part of these relatively mild climatic intervals, faunal and isotopic data suggest a noticable advection of Atlantic Water, yet of rather low temperature and likely at depths comparable to the modern distribution (i.e., below 150 m) or even deeper. This may be explained by a more southerly position of AW cooling and submergence than today, caused by a thick layer of low saline waters near the surface which stemmed from the slow melting of ice sheet remnants on the Eurasian continent and shelves. In the second half of both MIS 5a and 5e, AW advection was significantly stronger and may have occurred at shallower depths, as indicated by unusually large amounts of small subpolar planktic foraminifers in central Arctic sediments. AW was apparently diverted northward from the Fram Strait and spread eastward along the Lomonosov Ridge. A

  13. Water and ice on Mars: Evidence from Valles Marineris

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lucchitta, B. K.

    1987-01-01

    An important contribution to the volatile history of Mars comes from a study of Valles Marineris, where stereoimages and a 3-D view of the upper Martian crust permit unusual insights. The evidence that ground water and ice existed until relatively recently or still exist in the equatorial area comes from observations of landslides, wall rock, and dark volcanic vents. Valles Marineris landslides are different in efficiency from large catastrophic landslides on Earth. One explanation for the difference might be that the Martian slides are lubricated by water. A comparison of landslide speeds also suggests that the Martian slides contain water. That Valles Marineris wall rock contained water or ice is further suggested by its difference from the interior layered deposits. Faults and fault zones in Valles Marineris also shed light on the problem of water content in the walls. Because the main evidence for water and ice in the wall rock comes from slides, their time of emplacement is important. The slides in Valles Marineris date from the time of late eruptions of the Tharsis volcanoes and thus were emplaced after the major activity of Martian outflow channels.

  14. Ice versus liquid water saturation in simulations of the indian summer monsoon

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Glazer, Russell H.; Misra, Vasubandhu

    2018-02-01

    At the same temperature, below 0 °C, the saturation vapor pressure (SVP) over ice is slightly less than the SVP over liquid water. Numerical models use the Clausius-Clapeyron relation to calculate the SVP and relative humidity, but there is not a consistent method for the treatment of saturation above the freezing level where ice and mixed-phase clouds may be present. In the context of current challenges presented by cloud microphysics in climate models, we argue that a better understanding of the impact that this treatment has on saturation-related processes like cloud formation and precipitation, is needed. This study explores the importance of the SVP calculation through model simulations of the Indian summer monsoon (ISM) using the regional spectral model (RSM) at 15 km grid spacing. A combination of seasonal and multiyear simulations is conducted with two saturation parameterizations. In one, the SVP over liquid water is prescribed through the entire atmospheric column (woIce), and in another the SVP over ice is used above the freezing level (wIce). When SVP over ice is prescribed, a thermodynamic drying of the middle and upper troposphere above the freezing level occurs due to increased condensation. In the wIce runs, the model responds to the slight decrease in the saturation condition by increasing, relative to the SVP over liquid water only run, grid-scale condensation of water. Increased grid-scale mean seasonal precipitation is noted across the ISM region in the simulation with SVP over ice prescribed. Modification of the middle and upper troposphere moisture results in a decrease in mean seasonal mid-level cloud amount and an increase in high cloud amount when SVP over ice is prescribed. Multiyear simulations strongly corroborate the qualitative results found in the seasonal simulations regarding the impact of ice versus liquid water SVP on the ISM's mean precipitation and moisture field. The mean seasonal rainfall difference over All India between wIce

  15. A balanced water layer concept for subglacial hydrology in large scale ice sheet models

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Goeller, S.; Thoma, M.; Grosfeld, K.; Miller, H.

    2012-12-01

    There is currently no doubt about the existence of a wide-spread hydrological network under the Antarctic ice sheet, which lubricates the ice base and thus leads to increased ice velocities. Consequently, ice models should incorporate basal hydrology to obtain meaningful results for future ice dynamics and their contribution to global sea level rise. Here, we introduce the balanced water layer concept, covering two prominent subglacial hydrological features for ice sheet modeling on a continental scale: the evolution of subglacial lakes and balance water fluxes. We couple it to the thermomechanical ice-flow model RIMBAY and apply it to a synthetic model domain inspired by the Gamburtsev Mountains, Antarctica. In our experiments we demonstrate the dynamic generation of subglacial lakes and their impact on the velocity field of the overlaying ice sheet, resulting in a negative ice mass balance. Furthermore, we introduce an elementary parametrization of the water flux-basal sliding coupling and reveal the predominance of the ice loss through the resulting ice streams against the stabilizing influence of less hydrologically active areas. We point out, that established balance flux schemes quantify these effects only partially as their ability to store subglacial water is lacking.

  16. Rheology of water and ammonia-water ices

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Goldsby, D. L.; Kohlstedt, D. L.; Durham, W. B.

    1993-01-01

    Creep experiments on fine-grained water and ammonia-water ices have been performed at one atmosphere and high confining pressure in order to develop constitutive relationships necessary to model tectonic processes and interpret surface features of icy moons of the outer solar system. The present series of experiments explores the effects of temperature, strain rate, grain size, and melt fraction on creep strength. In general, creep strength decreases with increasing temperature, decreasing strain rate, and increasing melt fraction. A transition from dislocation creep to diffusion creep occurs at finer grain sizes, higher temperatures, and lower strain rates.

  17. Wind-driven Sea-Ice Changes Intensify Subsurface Warm Water Intrusion into the West Antarctic Land Ice Front

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, X.; Gille, S. T.; shang-Ping, X.; Xie, S. P.; Holland, D. M.; Holland, M. M.

    2016-12-01

    The climate change observed around Antarctica in recent decades is characterized by distinct zonally asymmetric patterns, with the strongest changes over West Antarctica. These changes are marked by strong land ice melting and sea ice redistribution around West Antarctica. This is associated with temperature and circulation anomalies in the ocean and atmosphere around the same area. In this study, we comprehensively examine the coherency between these changes using a combination of observations and numerical simulations. Results show that the atmospheric circulation changes distinctly drive the changes in ocean circulation and sea ice distribution. In addition, the atmospheric circulation induced sea ice changes play an important role in lifting the subsurface ocean temperature and salinity around the West Antarctica. During recent decades, the Amundsen Sea Low (ASL) has deepened, especially in austral autumn and winter. This deepened ASL has intensified the offshore wind near the coastal regions of the Ross Sea. Driven by these atmospheric changes, more sea ice has formed near West Antarctica in winter. In contrast, more sea ice melts during the summer. This strengthened sea ice seasonality has been observed and successfully reproduced in the model simulation. The wind-driven sea ice changes causes a surface freshening over the Ross and Amundsen Seas, with a subsurface salinity increase over the Ross Sea. The additional fresh/salt water fluxes thus further change the vertical distribution of salinity and strengthen the stratification in the Ross and Amundsen Seas. As a result of the above ice-ocean process, the mixed-layer depth around the Ross and Amundsen Seas shallows. By weakening the vertical heat transport near the surface layer, and inducing an upward movement of the circumpolar deep water (CDW), this process freshened and cooled the surface layer, while the salinity and temperature in the sub-surface ocean are increased, extending from 150 meters to >700

  18. Were lakes on early Mars perennially were ice-covered?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sumner, D. Y.; Rivera-Hernandez, F.; Mackey, T. J.

    2016-12-01

    Paleo-lake deposits indicate that Mars once sustained liquid water, supporting the idea of an early "wet and warm" Mars. However, liquid water can be sustained under ice in cold conditions as demonstrated by perennially ice-covered lakes (PICLs) in Antarctica. If martian lakes were ice-covered, the global climate on early Mars could have been much colder and dryer than if the atmosphere was in equilibrium with long-lived open water lakes. Modern PICLs on Earth have diagnostic sedimentary features. Unlike open water lakes that are dominated by mud, and drop stones or tills if icebergs are present, previous studies determined that deposits in PICLs can include coarser grains that are transported onto the ice cover, where they absorb solar radiation, melt through the ice and are deposited with lacustrine muds. In Lake Hoare, Antarctica, these coarse grains form conical sand mounds and ridges. Our observations of ice-covered lakes Joyce, Fryxell, Vanda and Hoare, Antarctica suggest that the distributions of grains depend significantly on ice characteristics. Deposits in these lakes contain moderately well to moderately sorted medium to very coarse sand grains, which preferentially melt through the ice whereas granules and larger grains remain on the ice surface. Similarly, high albedo grains are concentrated on the ice surface, whereas low albedo grains melt deeper into the ice, demonstrating a segregation of grains due to ice-sediment interactions. In addition, ice cover thickness may determine the spatial distribution of sand deposited in PICLs. Localized sand mounds and ridges composed of moderately sorted sand are common in PICLs with rough ice covers greater than 3 m thick. In contrast, lakes with smooth and thinner ice have disseminated sand grains and laterally extensive sand layers but may not have sand mounds. At Gale Crater, Mars, the Murray formation consists of sandy lacustrine mudstones, but the depositional process for the sand is unknown. The presence of

  19. Ice-nucleating bacteria control the order and dynamics of interfacial water

    DOE PAGES

    Pandey, Ravindra; Usui, Kota; Livingstone, Ruth A.; ...

    2016-04-22

    Ice-nucleating organisms play important roles in the environment. With their ability to induce ice formation at temperatures just below the ice melting point, bacteria such as Pseudomonas syringae attack plants through frost damage using specialized ice-nucleating proteins. Besides the impact on agriculture and microbial ecology, airborne P. syringae can affect atmospheric glaciation processes, with consequences for cloud evolution, precipitation, and climate. Biogenic ice nucleation is also relevant for artificial snow production and for biomimetic materials for controlled interfacial freezing. We use interface-specific sum frequency generation (SFG) spectroscopy to show that hydrogen bonding at the water-bacteria contact imposes structural ordering onmore » the adjacent water network. Experimental SFG data and molecular dynamics simulations demonstrate that ice active sites within P. syringae feature unique hydrophilic-hydrophobic patterns to enhance ice nucleation. Finally, the freezing transition is further facilitated by the highly effective removal of latent heat from the nucleation site, as apparent from time-resolved SFG spectroscopy.« less

  20. Ice-nucleating bacteria control the order and dynamics of interfacial water

    PubMed Central

    Pandey, Ravindra; Usui, Kota; Livingstone, Ruth A.; Fischer, Sean A.; Pfaendtner, Jim; Backus, Ellen H. G.; Nagata, Yuki; Fröhlich-Nowoisky, Janine; Schmüser, Lars; Mauri, Sergio; Scheel, Jan F.; Knopf, Daniel A.; Pöschl, Ulrich; Bonn, Mischa; Weidner, Tobias

    2016-01-01

    Ice-nucleating organisms play important roles in the environment. With their ability to induce ice formation at temperatures just below the ice melting point, bacteria such as Pseudomonas syringae attack plants through frost damage using specialized ice-nucleating proteins. Besides the impact on agriculture and microbial ecology, airborne P. syringae can affect atmospheric glaciation processes, with consequences for cloud evolution, precipitation, and climate. Biogenic ice nucleation is also relevant for artificial snow production and for biomimetic materials for controlled interfacial freezing. We use interface-specific sum frequency generation (SFG) spectroscopy to show that hydrogen bonding at the water-bacteria contact imposes structural ordering on the adjacent water network. Experimental SFG data and molecular dynamics simulations demonstrate that ice-active sites within P. syringae feature unique hydrophilic-hydrophobic patterns to enhance ice nucleation. The freezing transition is further facilitated by the highly effective removal of latent heat from the nucleation site, as apparent from time-resolved SFG spectroscopy. PMID:27152346

  1. A Model for the Formation and Melting of Ice on Surface Waters.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    de Bruin, H. A. R.; Wessels, H. R. A.

    1988-02-01

    Ice covers have an important influence on the hydrology of surface waters. The growth of ice layer on stationary waters, such as lakes or canals, depends primarily on meteorological parameters like temperature and humidity of the air, windspeed and radiation balance. The more complicated ice formation in rapidly flowing rivers is not considered in this study. A model is described that simulates ice growth and melting utilizing observed or forecast weather data. The model includes situations with a snow cover. Special attention is given to the optimal estimation of the net radiation and to the role of the stability of the near-surface air. Since a major practical application in the Netherlands is the use of frozen waters for recreation skating, the model is extended to include artificial ice tracks.

  2. Role of Salt, Pressure, and Water Activity on Homogeneous Ice Nucleation.

    PubMed

    Espinosa, Jorge R; Soria, Guiomar D; Ramirez, Jorge; Valeriani, Chantal; Vega, Carlos; Sanz, Eduardo

    2017-09-21

    Pure water can be substantially supercooled below the melting temperature without transforming into ice. The achievable supercooling can be enhanced by adding solutes or by applying hydrostatic pressure. Avoiding ice formation is of great importance in the cryopreservation of food or biological samples. In this Letter, we investigate the similarity between the effects of pressure and salt on ice formation using a combination of state-of-the-art simulation techniques. We find that both hinder ice formation by increasing the energetic cost of creating the ice-fluid interface. Moreover, we examine the widely accepted proposal that the ice nucleation rate for different pressures and solute concentrations can be mapped through the activity of water [ Koop , L. ; Tsias , P. Nature , 2000 , 406 , 611 ]. We show that such a proposal is not consistent with the nucleation rates predicted in our simulations because it does not include all parameters affecting ice nucleation. Therefore, even though salt and pressure have a qualitatively similar effect on ice formation, they cannot be quantitatively mapped onto one another.

  3. Study of Cold Heat Energy Release Characteristics of Flowing Ice Water Slurry in a Pipe

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Inaba, Hideo; Horibe, Akihiko; Ozaki, Koichi; Yokota, Maki

    This paper has dealt with melting heat transfer characteristics of ice water slurry in an inside tube of horizontal double tube heat exchanger in which a hot water circulated in an annular gap between the inside and outside tubes. Two kinds of heat exchangers were used; one is made of acrylic resin tube for flow visualization and the other is made of stainless steel tube for melting heat transfer measurement. The result of flow visualization revealed that ice particles flowed along the top of inside tube in the ranges of small ice packing factor and low ice water slurry velocity, while ice particles diffused into the whole of tube and flowed like a plug built up by ice particles for large ice packing factor and high velocity. Moreover, it was found that the flowing ice plug was separated into numbers of small ice clusters by melting phenomenon. Experiments of melting heat transfer were carried out under some parameters of ice packing factor, ice water slurry flow rate and hot water temperature. Consequently, the correlation equation of melting heat transfer was derived as a function of those experimental parameters.

  4. Antarctic ice discharge due to warm water intrusion into shelf cavities

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Winkelmann, R.; Reese, R.; Albrecht, T.; Mengel, M.; Asay-Davis, X.

    2017-12-01

    Ocean-induced melting below ice shelves is the dominant driver for mass loss from the Antarctic Ice Sheet at present. Observations show that many Antarctic ice shelves are thinning which reduces their buttressing potential and can lead to increased ice discharge from the glaciers upstream. Melt rates from Antarctic ice shelves are determined by the temperature and salinity of the ambient ocean. In many parts, ice shelves are shielded by clearly defined density fronts which keep relatively warm Northern water from entering the cavity underneath the ice shelves. Projections show that a redirection of coastal currents might allow these warmer waters to intrude into ice shelf cavities, for instance in the Weddell Sea, and thereby cause a strong increase in sub-shelf melt rates. Using the Potsdam Ice-shelf Cavity mOdel (PICO), we assess how such a change would influence the dynamic ice loss from Antarctica. PICO is implemented as part of the Parallel Ice Sheet Model (PISM) and mimics the vertical overturning circulation in ice-shelf cavities. The model is capable of capturing the wide range of melt rates currently observed for Antarctic ice shelves and reproduces the typical pattern of comparably high melting near the grounding line and lower melting or refreezing towards the calving front. Based on regional observations of ocean temperatures, we use PISM-PICO to estimate an upper limit for ice discharge resulting from the potential erosion of ocean fronts around Antarctica.

  5. Sea Spray and Icing in the Emerging Open Water of the Arctic Ocean

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2015-06-12

    concentrations of wind-generated sea spray and the resulting spray icing on offshore structures, such as wind turbines and exploration, drilling , and...We anticipate that structures placed in shallow water—wind turbines, drilling rigs, or man-made production islands, for instance—will, therefore...and the severity of sea spray icing on fixed offshore structures. We will use existing information on the relationship of the spray concentration

  6. Indirect contact freeze water desalination for an ice maker machine - CFD simulation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jayakody, Harith; Al-Dadah, Raya; Mahmoud, Saad

    2017-11-01

    To offer for potable water shortages, sea water desalination is a potential solution for the global rising demand for fresh water. The latent heat of fusion is about one-seventh the latent heat of vaporisation, thus indicating the benefit of lower energy consumption for the freeze desalination process. Limited literature is reported on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) on freeze desalination. Therefore, analysing and investigating thermodynamic processes are easily conducted by the powerful tool of CFD. A single unit of ice formation in an ice maker machine was modelled using ANSYS Fluent software three-dimensionally. Energy, species transport and solidification/melting modules were used in building the CFD model. Parametric analysis was conducted using the established CFD model to predict the effects of freezing temperature and the geometry of the ice maker machine; on ice production and the freezing time. Lower freezing temperatures allowed more ice production and faster freezing. Increasing the diameter and the length of the freezing tube enabled more ice to be produced.

  7. HybridICE® filter: ice separation in freeze desalination of mine waste waters.

    PubMed

    Adeniyi, A; Maree, J P; Mbaya, R K K; Popoola, A P I; Mtombeni, T; Zvinowanda, C M

    2014-01-01

    Freeze desalination is an alternative method for the treatment of mine waste waters. HybridICE(®) technology is a freeze desalination process which generates ice slurry in surface scraper heat exchangers that use R404a as the primary refrigerant. Ice separation from the slurry takes place in the HybridICE filter, a cylindrical unit with a centrally mounted filter element. Principally, the filter module achieves separation of the ice through buoyancy force in a continuous process. The HybridICE filter is a new and economical means of separating ice from the slurry and requires no washing of ice with water. The performance of the filter at a flow-rate of 25 L/min was evaluated over time and with varied evaporating temperature of the refrigerant. Behaviours of the ice fraction and residence time were also investigated. The objective was to find ways to improve the performance of the filter. Results showed that filter performance can be improved by controlling the refrigerant evaporating temperature and eliminating overflow.

  8. Laboratory experiments to investigate sublimation rates of water ice in nighttime lunar regolith

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Piquette, Marcus; Horányi, Mihály; Stern, S. Alan

    2017-09-01

    The existence of water ice on the lunar surface has been a long-standing topic with implications for both lunar science and in-situ resource utilization (ISRU). Cold traps on the lunar surface may have conditions necessary to retain water ice, but no laboratory experiments have been conducted to verify modeling results. We present an experiment testing the ability to thermally control bulk samples of lunar regolith simulant mixed with water ice under vacuum in an effort to constrain sublimation rates. The simulant used was JSC-1A lunar regolith simulant developed by NASA's Johnson Space Center. Samples with varying ratios of water ice and JSC-1A regolith simulant, totally about 1 kg, were placed under vacuum and cooled to 100 K to simulate conditions in lunar cold traps. The resulting sublimation of water ice over an approximately five-day period was measured by comparing the mass of the samples before and after the experimental run. Our results indicate that water ice in lunar cold traps is stable on timescales comparable to the lunar night, and should continue to be studied as possible resources for future utilization. This experiment also gauges the efficacy of the synthetic lunar atmosphere mission (SLAM) as a low-cost water resupply mission to lunar outposts.

  9. Skillful Spring Forecasts of September Arctic Sea Ice Extent Using Passive Microwave Data

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Petty, A. A.; Schroder, D.; Stroeve, J. C.; Markus, Thorsten; Miller, Jeffrey A.; Kurtz, Nathan Timothy; Feltham, D. L.; Flocco, D.

    2017-01-01

    In this study, we demonstrate skillful spring forecasts of detrended September Arctic sea ice extent using passive microwave observations of sea ice concentration (SIC) and melt onset (MO). We compare these to forecasts produced using data from a sophisticated melt pond model, and find similar to higher skill values, where the forecast skill is calculated relative to linear trend persistence. The MO forecasts shows the highest skill in March-May, while the SIC forecasts produce the highest skill in June-August, especially when the forecasts are evaluated over recent years (since 2008). The high MO forecast skill in early spring appears to be driven primarily by the presence and timing of open water anomalies, while the high SIC forecast skill appears to be driven by both open water and surface melt processes. Spatial maps of detrended anomalies highlight the drivers of the different forecasts, and enable us to understand regions of predictive importance. Correctly capturing sea ice state anomalies, along with changes in open water coverage appear to be key processes in skillfully forecasting summer Arctic sea ice.

  10. FORMATION AND ALIGNMENT OF ELONGATED, FRACTAL-LIKE WATER-ICE GRAINS IN EXTREMELY COLD, WEAKLY IONIZED PLASMA

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Chai, Kil-Byoung; Bellan, Paul M., E-mail: kbchai@caltech.edu, E-mail: pbellan@caltech.edu

    2015-04-01

    Elongated, fractal-like water-ice grains are observed to form spontaneously when water vapor is injected into a weakly ionized laboratory plasma formed in a background gas cooled to an astrophysically relevant temperature. The water-ice grains form in 1–2 minutes, levitate with regular spacing, and are aligned parallel to the sheath electric field. Water-ice grains formed in plasma where the neutrals and ions have low mass, such as hydrogen and helium, are larger, more elongated, and more fractal-like than water-ice grains formed in plasmas where the neutrals and ions have high mass such as argon and krypton. Typical aspect ratios (length tomore » width ratio) are as great as 5 while typical fractal dimensions are ∼1.7. Water-ice grain lengths in plasmas with low neutral and ion masses can be several hundred microns long. Infrared absorption spectroscopy reveals that the water-ice grains are crystalline and so are similar in constitution to the water-ice grains in protoplanetary disks, Saturn’s rings, and mesospheric clouds. The properties and behavior of these laboratory water-ice grains may provide insights into morphology and alignment behavior of water-ice grains in astrophysical dusty plasmas.« less

  11. Ice water path estimation and characterization using passive microwave radiometry

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Vivekanandan, J.; Turk, J.; Bringi, V. N.

    1991-01-01

    Model computations of top-of-atmospheric microwave brightness temperatures T(B) from layers of precipitation-sized ice of variable bulk density and ice water content (IWC) are presented. It is shown that the 85-GHz T(B) depends essentially on the ice optical thickness. The results demonstrate the potential usefulness of scattering-based channels for characterizing the ice phase and suggest a top-down methodology for retrieval of cloud vertical structure and precipitation estimation from multifrequency passive microwave measurements. Attention is also given to radiative transfer model results based on the multiparameter radar data initialization from the Cooperative Huntsville Meteorological Experiment (COHMEX) in northern Alabama. It is shown that brightness temperature warming effects due to the inclusion of a cloud liquid water profile are especially significant at 85 GHz during later stages of cloud evolution.

  12. Ice/water slurry blocking phenomenon at a tube orifice.

    PubMed

    Hirochi, Takero; Yamada, Shuichi; Shintate, Tuyoshi; Shirakashi, Masataka

    2002-10-01

    The phenomenon of ice-particle/water mixture blocking flow through a pipeline is a problem that needs to be solved before mixture flow can be applied for practical use in cold energy transportation in a district cooling system. In this work, the blocking mechanism of ice-particle slurry at a tube orifice is investigated and a criterion for blocking is presented. The cohesive nature of ice particles is shown to cause compressed plug type blocking and the compressive yield stress of a particle cluster is presented as a measure for the cohesion strength of ice particles.

  13. Ocean Profile Measurements During the Seasonal Ice Zone Reconnaissance Surveys Ocean Profiles

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2017-01-01

    repeated ocean, ice, and atmospheric measurements across the Beaufort-Chukchi sea seasonal sea ice zone (SIZ) utilizing US Coast Guard Arctic Domain...contributing to the rapid decline in summer ice extent that has occurred in recent years. The SIZ is the region between maximum winter sea ice extent and...minimum summer sea ice extent. As such, it contains the full range of positions of the marginal ice zone (MIZ) where sea ice interacts with open water

  14. In situ observations of Arctic cloud properties across the Beaufort Sea marginal ice zone

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Corr, C.; Moore, R.; Winstead, E.; Thornhill, K. L., II; Crosbie, E.; Ziemba, L. D.; Beyersdorf, A. J.; Chen, G.; Martin, R.; Shook, M.; Corbett, J.; Smith, W. L., Jr.; Anderson, B. E.

    2016-12-01

    Clouds play an important role in Arctic climate. This is particularly true over the Arctic Ocean where feedbacks between clouds and sea-ice impact the surface radiation budget through modifications of sea-ice extent, ice thickness, cloud base height, and cloud cover. This work summarizes measurements of Arctic cloud properties made aboard the NASA C-130 aircraft over the Beaufort Sea during ARISE (Arctic Radiation - IceBridge Sea&Ice Experiment) in September 2014. The influence of surface-type on cloud properties is also investigated. Specifically, liquid water content (LWC), droplet concentrations, and droplet size distributions are compared for clouds sampled over three distinct regimes in the Beaufort Sea: 1) open water, 2) the marginal ice zone, and 3) sea-ice. Regardless of surface type, nearly all clouds intercepted during ARISE were liquid-phase clouds. However, differences in droplet size distributions and concentrations were evident for the surface types; clouds over the MIZ and sea-ice generally had fewer and larger droplets compared to those over open water. The potential implication these results have for understanding cloud-surface albedo climate feedbacks in Arctic are discussed.

  15. Triple Isotope Water Measurements of Lake Untersee Ice using Off-Axis ICOS

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Berman, E. S.; Huang, Y. W.; Andersen, D. T.; Gupta, M.; McKay, C. P.

    2015-12-01

    Lake Untersee (71.348°S, 13.458°E) is the largest surface freshwater lake in the interior of the Gruber Mountains of central Queen Maud Land in East Antarctica. The lake is permanently covered with ice, is partly bounded by glacier ice and has a mean annual air temperature of -10°C. In contrast to other Antarctic lakes the dominating physical process controlling ice-cover dynamics is low summer temperatures and high wind speeds resulting in sublimation rather than melting as the main mass-loss process. The ice-cover of the lake is composed of lake-water ice formed during freeze-up and rafted glacial ice derived from the Anuchin Glacier. The mix of these two fractions impacts the energy balance of the lake, which directly affects ice-cover thickness. Ice-cover is important if one is to understand the physical, chemical, and biological linkages within these unique, physically driven ecosystems. We have analyzed δ2H, δ18O, and δ17O from samples of lake and glacier ice collected at Lake Untersee in Dec 2014. Using these data we seek to answer two specific questions: Are we able to determine the origin and history of the lake ice, discriminating between rafted glacial ice and lake water? Can isotopic gradients in the surface ice indicate the ablation (sublimation) rate of the surface ice? The triple isotope water analyzer developed by Los Gatos Research (LGR 912-0032) uses LGR's patented Off-Axis ICOS (Integrated Cavity Output Spectroscopy) technology and incorporates proprietary internal thermal control for high sensitivity and optimal instrument stability. This analyzer measures δ2H, δ18O, and δ17O from water, as well as the calculated d-excess and 17O-excess. The laboratory precision in high performance mode for both δ17O and δ18O is 0.03 ‰, and for δ2H is 0.2 ‰. Methodology and isotope data from Lake Untersee samples are presented. Figure: Ice samples were collected across Lake Untersee from both glacial and lake ice regions for this study.

  16. The structural changes of water ice I during warmup

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Jenniskens, Peter; Blake, David F.

    1994-01-01

    The polymorph transitions of vapor deposited water ice I during warmup from 15 K to 210 K was mapped by means of selected area electron diffraction. The polymorph transitions account for many phenomena observed in laboratory analog studies of cometary outgassing and radial diffusion in UV photolyzed interstellar ices.

  17. Unusual dynamic properties of water near the ice-binding plane of hyperactive antifreeze protein

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Kuffel, Anna; Czapiewski, Dariusz; Zielkiewicz, Jan, E-mail: jaz@chem.pg.gda.pl

    2015-10-07

    The dynamical properties of solvation water of hyperactive antifreeze protein from Choristoneura fumiferana (CfAFP) are analyzed and discussed in context of its antifreeze activity. The protein comprises of three well-defined planes and one of them binds to the surface of ice. The dynamical properties of solvation water around each of these planes were analyzed separately; the results are compared with the dynamical properties of solvation water of ice around its two crystallographic planes: basal and prism. Three main conclusions are inferred from our investigations. The first one is that the solvation shell of CfAFP does not seem to be particularlymore » far-ranged, at least not beyond what is usually observed for proteins that do not interact with ice. Therefore, it does not appear to us that the antifreeze activity is enhanced by a long-ranged retardation of water mobility. Also the correlation between the collective mobility of water and the collective mobility of protein atoms highly resembles the one measured for the protein that does not interact with ice. Our second conclusion is that the dynamical properties of solvation water of CfAFP are non-uniform. The dynamics of solvation water of ice-binding plane is, in some respects, different from the dynamics of solvation water of the two remaining planes. The feature that distinguishes the dynamics of solvation water of the three planes is the activation energy of diffusion process. The third conclusion is that—from the three analyzed solvation shells of CfAFP—the dynamical properties of solvation water of the ice-binding plane resemble the most the properties of solvation water of ice; note, however, that these properties still clearly differ from the dynamic properties of solvation water of ice.« less

  18. Ice-Water Immersion and Cold-Water Immersion Provide Similar Cooling Rates in Runners With Exercise-Induced Hyperthermia

    PubMed Central

    Clements, Julie M.; Casa, Douglas J.; Knight, J. Chad; McClung, Joseph M.; Blake, Alan S.; Meenen, Paula M.; Gilmer, Allison M.; Caldwell, Kellie A.

    2002-01-01

    Objective: To assess whether ice-water immersion or cold-water immersion is the more effective treatment for rapidly cooling hyperthermic runners. Design and Setting: 17 heat-acclimated highly trained distance runners (age = 28 ± 2 years, height = 180 ± 2 cm, weight = 68.5 ± 2.1 kg, body fat = 11.2 ± 1.3%, training volume = 89 ± 10 km/wk) completed a hilly trail run (approximately 19 km and 86 minutes) in the heat (wet-bulb globe temperature = 27 ± 1°C) at an individually selected “comfortable” pace on 3 occasions 1 week apart. The random, crossover design included (1) distance run, then 12 minutes of ice-water immersion (5.15 ± 0.20°C), (2) distance run, then 12 minutes of cold-water immersion (14.03 ± 0.28°C), or (3) distance run, then 12 minutes of mock immersion (no water, air temperature = 28.88 ± 0.76°C). Measurements: Each subject was immersed from the shoulders to the hip joints for 12 minutes in a tub. Three minutes elapsed between the distance run and the start of immersion. Rectal temperature was recorded at the start of immersion, at each minute of immersion, and 3, 6, 10, and 15 minutes postimmersion. No rehydration occurred during any trial. Results: Length of distance run, time to complete distance run, rectal temperature, and percentage of dehydration after distance run were similar (P > .05) among all trials, as was the wet-bulb globe temperature. No differences (P > .05) for cooling rates were found when comparing ice-water immersion, cold-water immersion, and mock immersion at the start of immersion to 4 minutes, 4 to 8 minutes, and the start of immersion to 8 minutes. Ice-water immersion and cold-water immersion cooling rates were similar (P > .05) to each other and greater (P < .05) than mock immersion at 8 to 12 minutes, the start of immersion to 10 minutes, and the start of immersion to every other time point thereafter. Rectal temperatures were similar (P > .05) between ice-water immersion and cold-water immersion at the

  19. Contrasts in Sea Ice Formation and Production in the Arctic Seasonal and Perennial Ice Zones

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kwok, R.

    2006-01-01

    Four years (1997-2000) of RADARSAT Geophysical Processor System (RGPS) data are used to contrast the sea ice deformation and production regionally, and in the seasonal (SIZ) and perennial (PIZ) ice zones. Ice production is of seasonal ice in openings during the winter. 3-day estimates of these quantities are provided within Lagrangian elements initially 10 km on a side. A distinct seasonal cycle is seen in both zones with these estimates highest in the late fall and with seasonal minimums in the mid-winter. Regional divergence over the winter could be up to 30%. Spatially, the highest deformation is in the SIZ north of coastal Alaska. Both ice deformation and production are higher in the SIZ: deformation-related ice production in the SIZ (approx.0.5 m) is 1.5-2.3 times that of the PIZ (approx.0.3 m) - this is connected to ice strength and thickness. Atmospheric forcing and boundary layer structure contribute to only the seasonal and interannual variability. Seasonal ice growth in ice fractures accounts for approx.25-40% of the total ice production of the Arctic Ocean. By itself, this deformation-ice production relationship could be considered a negative feedback when thickness is perturbed. However, the overall effect on ice production in the face of increasing seasonal and thinner/weaker ice coverage could be modified by: local destabilization of the water column promoting overturning of warmer water due to increased brine rejection; and, the upwelling of the pynocline associated with increased occurrence of large shear motion in sea ice.

  20. Accretion growth of water-ice grains in astrophysically-relevant dusty plasma experiment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chai, Kil-Byoung; Marshall, Ryan; Bellan, Paul

    2016-10-01

    The grain growth process in the Caltech water-ice dusty plasma experiment has been studied using a high-speed camera equipped with a long-distance microscope lens. It is found that (i) the ice grain number density decreases four-fold as the average grain length increases from 20 to 80 um, (ii) the ice grain length has a log-normal distribution rather than a power-law dependence, and (iii) no collisions between ice grains are apparent. The grains have a large negative charge so the agglomeration growth is prevented by their strong mutual repulsion. It is concluded that direct accretion of water molecules is in good agreement with the observed ice grain growth. The volumetric packing factor of the ice grains must be less than 0.25 in order for the grain kinetic energy to be sufficiently small to prevent collisions between ice grains; this conclusion is consistent with ice grain images showing a fractal character.

  1. Computing under-ice discharge: A proof-of-concept using hydroacoustics and the Probability Concept

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fulton, John W.; Henneberg, Mark F.; Mills, Taylor J.; Kohn, Michael S.; Epstein, Brian; Hittle, Elizabeth A.; Damschen, William C.; Laveau, Christopher D.; Lambrecht, Jason M.; Farmer, William H.

    2018-07-01

    Under-ice discharge is estimated using open-water reference hydrographs; however, the ratings for ice-affected sites are generally qualified as poor. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in collaboration with the Colorado Water Conservation Board, conducted a proof-of-concept to develop an alternative method for computing under-ice discharge using hydroacoustics and the Probability Concept. The study site was located south of Minturn, Colorado (CO), USA, and was selected because of (1) its proximity to the existing USGS streamgage 09064600 Eagle River near Minturn, CO, and (2) its ease-of-access to verify discharge using a variety of conventional methods. From late September 2014 to early March 2015, hydraulic conditions varied from open water to under ice. These temporal changes led to variations in water depth and velocity. Hydroacoustics (tethered and uplooking acoustic Doppler current profilers and acoustic Doppler velocimeters) were deployed to measure the vertical-velocity profile at a singularly important vertical of the channel-cross section. Because the velocity profile was non-standard and cannot be characterized using a Power Law or Log Law, velocity data were analyzed using the Probability Concept, which is a probabilistic formulation of the velocity distribution. The Probability Concept-derived discharge was compared to conventional methods including stage-discharge and index-velocity ratings and concurrent field measurements; each is complicated by the dynamics of ice formation, pressure influences on stage measurements, and variations in cross-sectional area due to ice formation. No particular discharge method was assigned as truth. Rather one statistical metric (Kolmogorov-Smirnov; KS), agreement plots, and concurrent measurements provided a measure of comparability between various methods. Regardless of the method employed, comparisons between each method revealed encouraging results depending on the flow conditions and the absence or presence of ice

  2. Computing under-ice discharge: A proof-of-concept using hydroacoustics and the Probability Concept

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Fulton, John W.; Henneberg, Mark F.; Mills, Taylor J.; Kohn, Michael S.; Epstein, Brian; Hittle, Elizabeth A.; Damschen, William C.; Laveau, Christopher D.; Lambrecht, Jason M.; Farmer, William H.

    2018-01-01

    Under-ice discharge is estimated using open-water reference hydrographs; however, the ratings for ice-affected sites are generally qualified as poor. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in collaboration with the Colorado Water Conservation Board, conducted a proof-of-concept to develop an alternative method for computing under-ice discharge using hydroacoustics and the Probability Concept.The study site was located south of Minturn, Colorado (CO), USA, and was selected because of (1) its proximity to the existing USGS streamgage 09064600 Eagle River near Minturn, CO, and (2) its ease-of-access to verify discharge using a variety of conventional methods. From late September 2014 to early March 2015, hydraulic conditions varied from open water to under ice. These temporal changes led to variations in water depth and velocity. Hydroacoustics (tethered and uplooking acoustic Doppler current profilers and acoustic Doppler velocimeters) were deployed to measure the vertical-velocity profile at a singularly important vertical of the channel-cross section. Because the velocity profile was non-standard and cannot be characterized using a Power Law or Log Law, velocity data were analyzed using the Probability Concept, which is a probabilistic formulation of the velocity distribution. The Probability Concept-derived discharge was compared to conventional methods including stage-discharge and index-velocity ratings and concurrent field measurements; each is complicated by the dynamics of ice formation, pressure influences on stage measurements, and variations in cross-sectional area due to ice formation.No particular discharge method was assigned as truth. Rather one statistical metric (Kolmogorov-Smirnov; KS), agreement plots, and concurrent measurements provided a measure of comparability between various methods. Regardless of the method employed, comparisons between each method revealed encouraging results depending on the flow conditions and the absence or presence of ice

  3. Radiation Effects in Hydrogen-Laden Porous Water Ice Films: Implications for Interstellar Ices

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Raut, Ujjwal; Baragiola, Raul; Mitchell, Emma; Shi, Jianming

    H _{2} molar remains trapped in the ice even upon removal of ambient gas-phase H _{2}, and is stable to 170 K, where the ice film desorbs. We will describe the dependence of net loss of adsorbed hydrogen on important parameters such as ice film thickness and the ratio of ion flux (f) to H _{2} flux (F _{H}). Both fluxes are higher by orders of magnitude than interstellar values. However, the information obtained from these experiments, especially the behavior in the limit of low flux (f << F _{H}) should be relevant to the interstellar case. Furthermore, we will discuss the effects of the presence of H _{2} in radiation chemistry of water ice, in particular, the observed suppression in H _{2}O _{2} synthesis. References: 1.Tielens, A.G.G.M., The Physics and Chemistry of the Interstellar Medium. 2005: Cambridge University Press. 2.Webber, W.R. and S.M. Yushak, A measurement of the energy spectra and relative abundance of the cosmic-ray H and He isotopes over a broad energy range. Astrophysical Journal, 1983. 275: p. 391-404. 3.Shi, J., B.D. Teolis, and R.A. Baragiola, Irradiation-enhanced adsorption and trapping of O2 on nanoporous water ice. Physical Review B, 2009. 79(23): p. 235422. 4.Raut, U., et al., Compaction of microporous amorphous solid water by ion irradiation. Journal of Chemical Physics, 2007. 126(24): p. 244511.

  4. Optical Thickness and Effective Radius Retrievals of Liquid Water Clouds over Ice and Snow Surface

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Platnick, S.; King, M. D.; Tsay, S.-C.; Arnold, G. T.; Gerber, H.; Hobbs, P. V.; Rangno, A.

    1999-01-01

    Cloud optical thickness and effective radius retrievals from solar reflectance measurements traditionally depend on a combination of spectral channels that are absorbing and non-absorbing for liquid water droplets. Reflectances in non-absorbing channels (e.g., 0.67, 0.86 micrometer bands) are largely dependent on cloud optical thickness, while longer wavelength absorbing channels (1.6, 2.1, and 3.7 micrometer window bands) provide cloud particle size information. Retrievals are complicated by the presence of an underlying ice/snow surface. At the shorter wavelengths, sea ice is both bright and highly variable, significantly increasing cloud retrieval uncertainty. However, reflectances at the longer wavelengths are relatively small and may be comparable to that of dark open water. Sea ice spectral albedos derived from Cloud Absorption Radiometer (CAR) measurements during April 1992 and June 1995 Arctic field deployments are used to illustrate these statements. A modification to the traditional retrieval technique is devised. The new algorithm uses a combination of absorbing spectral channels for which the snow/ice albedo is relatively small. Using this approach, preliminary retrievals have been made with the MODIS Airborne Simulator (MAS) imager flown aboard the NASA ER-2 during FIRE-ACE. Data from coordinated ER-2 and University of Washington CV-580 aircraft observations of liquid water stratus clouds on June 3 and June 6, 1998 have been examined. Size retrievals are compared with in situ cloud profile measurements of effective radius made with the CV-580 PMS FSSP probe, and optical thickness retrievals are compared with extinction profiles derived from the Gerber Scientific "g-meter" probe. MAS retrievals are shown to be in good agreement with the in situ measurements.

  5. Insights into the effects of patchy ice layers on water balance heterogeneity in peatlands

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dixon, Simon; Kettridge, Nicholas; Devito, Kevin; Petrone, Rich; Mendoza, Carl; Waddington, Mike

    2017-04-01

    Peatlands in boreal and sub-arctic settings are characterised by a high degree of seasonality. During winter soils are frozen and snow covers the surface preventing peat moss growth. Conversely, in summer, soils unfreeze and rain and evapotranspiration drive moss productivity. Although advances have been made in understanding growing season water balance and moss dynamics in northern peatlands, there remains a gap in knowledge of inter-seasonal water balance as layers of ice break up during the spring thaw. Understanding the effects of ice layers on spring water balance is important as this coincides with periods of high wildfire risk, such as the devastating Fort McMurrary wildfire of May, 2016. We hypothesise that shallow layers of ice disconnect the growing surface of moss from a falling water table, and prevent water from being supplied from depth. A disconnect between the evaporating surface and deeper water storage will lead to the drying out of the surface layer of moss and a greater risk of severe spring wildfires. We utilise the unsaturated flow model Hydrus 2D to explore water balance in peat layers with an impermeable layer representing ice. Additionally we create models to represent the heterogeneous break up of ice layers observed in Canadian boreal peatlands; these models explore the ability of breaks in an ice layer to connect the evaporating surface to a deeper water table. Results show that peatlands with slower rates of moss growth respond to dry periods by limiting evapotranspiration and thus maintain moist conditions in the sub-surface and a water table above the ice layer. Peatlands which are more productive continue to grow moss and evaporate during dry periods; this results in the near surface mosses drying out and the water table dropping below the level of the ice. Where there are breaks in the ice layer the evaporating surface is able to maintain contact with a falling water table, but connectivity is limited to above the breaks, with

  6. Estimation of composite hydraulic resistance in ice-covered alluvial streams

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ghareh Aghaji Zare, Soheil; Moore, Stephanie A.; Rennie, Colin D.; Seidou, Ousmane; Ahmari, Habib; Malenchak, Jarrod

    2016-02-01

    Formation, propagation, and recession of ice cover introduce a dynamic boundary layer to the top of rivers during northern winters. Ice cover affects water velocity magnitude and distribution, water level and consequently conveyance capacity of the river. In this research, total resistance, i.e., "composite resistance," is studied for a 4 month period including stable ice cover, breakup, and open water stages in Lower Nelson River (LNR), northern Manitoba, Canada. Flow and ice characteristics such as water velocity and depth and ice thickness and condition were measured continuously using acoustic techniques. An Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) and Shallow Water Ice Profiling Sonar (SWIPS) were installed simultaneously on a bottom mount and deployed for this purpose. Total resistance to the flow and boundary roughness are estimated using measured bulk hydraulic parameters. A novel method is developed to calculate composite resistance directly from measured under ice velocity profiles. The results of this method are compared to the measured total resistance and to the calculated composite resistance using formulae available in literature. The new technique is demonstrated to compare favorably to measured total resistance and to outperform previously available methods.

  7. Time-series measurements of methane (CH4) distribution during open water and ice-cover in lakes throughout the Mackenzie River Delta (Canada)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McIntosh, H.; Lapham, L.; Orcutt, B.; Wheat, C. G.; Lesack, L.; Bergstresser, M.; Dallimore, S. R.; MacLeod, R.; Cote, M.

    2016-12-01

    Arctic lakes are known to emit large amounts of methane to the atmosphere and their importance to the global methane (CH4) cycle has been recognized. It is well known CH4 builds up in Arctic lakes during ice-cover, but the amount of and when the CH4 is released to the atmosphere is not well known. Our preliminary results suggest the largest flux of CH4 from lakes to the atmosphere occurs slightly before complete ice-out; while others have shown the largest flux occurs when lakes overturn in the spring. During ice-out, CH4 can also be oxidized by methane oxidizing bacteria before it can efflux to the atmosphere from the surface water. In order to elucidate the processes contributing to Arctic lake CH4 emissions, continuous, long-term and large scale spatial sampling is required; however it is difficult to achieve in these remote locations. We address this problem using two sampling techniques. 1) We deployed osmotically powered pumps (OsmoSamplers), which were able to autonomously and continuously collect lake bottom water over the course of a year from multiple lakes in the Mackenzie River Delta. OsmoSamplers were placed in four lakes in the mid Delta near Inuvik, Northwest Territories, Canada, two lakes in the outer Delta, and two coastal lakes on Richard's Island in 2015. The dissolved CH4 concentration, stable isotope content of CH4 (δ13C-CH4), and dissolved sulfate concentrations in bottom water from these lakes will be presented to better understand methane dynamics under the ice and over time. 2) Along with the time-series data, we will also present data from discrete samples collected from 40 lakes in the mid Delta during key time periods, before and immediately after the spring ice-out. By determining the CH4 dynamics throughout the year we hope to improve predictions of how CH4 emissions may change in a warming Arctic environment.

  8. A Comparison of Sea Ice Type, Sea Ice Temperature, and Snow Thickness Distributions in the Arctic Seasonal Ice Zones with the DMSP SSM/I

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    St.Germain, Karen; Cavalieri, Donald J.; Markus, Thorsten

    1997-01-01

    Global climate studies have shown that sea ice is a critical component in the global climate system through its effect on the ocean and atmosphere, and on the earth's radiation balance. Polar energy studies have further shown that the distribution of thin ice and open water largely controls the distribution of surface heat exchange between the ocean and atmosphere within the winter Arctic ice pack. The thickness of the ice, the depth of snow on the ice, and the temperature profile of the snow/ice composite are all important parameters in calculating surface heat fluxes. In recent years, researchers have used various combinations of DMSP SSMI channels to independently estimate the thin ice type (which is related to ice thickness), the thin ice temperature, and the depth of snow on the ice. In each case validation efforts provided encouraging results, but taken individually each algorithm gives only one piece of the information necessary to compute the energy fluxes through the ice and snow. In this paper we present a comparison of the results from each of these algorithms to provide a more comprehensive picture of the seasonal ice zone using passive microwave observations.

  9. Effectiveness of a chemical herder in association with in-situ burning of oil spills in ice-infested water.

    PubMed

    van Gelderen, Laurens; Fritt-Rasmussen, Janne; Jomaas, Grunde

    2017-02-15

    The average herded slick thickness, surface distribution and burning efficiency of a light crude oil were studied in ice-infested water to determine the effectiveness of a chemical herder in facilitating the in-situ burning of oil. Experiments were performed in a small scale (1.0m 2 ) and an intermediate scale (19m 2 ) setup with open water and 3/10, 5/10 and 7/10 brash ice coverages. The herded slick thicknesses (3-8mm) were ignitable in each experiment. The presence of ice caused fracturing of the oil during the herding process, which reduced the size of the herded slicks and, as a consequence, their ignitability, which in turn decreased the burning efficiency. Burning efficiencies relative to the ignited fraction of the oil were in the expected range (42-86%). This shows that the herder will be an effective tool for in-situ burning of oil when the ignitability issues due to fracturing of the oil are resolved. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Loitering of the retreating sea ice edge in the Arctic Seas.

    PubMed

    Steele, Michael; Ermold, Wendy

    2015-12-01

    Each year, the arctic sea ice edge retreats from its winter maximum extent through the Seasonal Ice Zone (SIZ) to its summer minimum extent. On some days, this retreat happens at a rapid pace, while on other days, parts of the pan-arctic ice edge hardly move for periods of days up to 1.5 weeks. We term this stationary behavior "ice edge loitering," and identify areas that are more prone to loitering than others. Generally, about 20-25% of the SIZ area experiences loitering, most often only one time at any one location during the retreat season, but sometimes two or more times. The main mechanism controlling loitering is an interaction between surface winds and warm sea surface temperatures in areas from which the ice has already retreated. When retreat happens early enough to allow atmospheric warming of this open water, winds that force ice floes into this water cause melting. Thus, while individual ice floes are moving, the ice edge as a whole appears to loiter. The time scale of loitering is then naturally tied to the synoptic time scale of wind forcing. Perhaps surprisingly, the area of loitering in the arctic seas has not changed over the past 25 years, even as the SIZ area has grown. This is because rapid ice retreat happens most commonly late in the summer, when atmospheric warming of open water is weak. We speculate that loitering may have profound effects on both physical and biological conditions at the ice edge during the retreat season.

  11. Thermodynamics of the formaldehyde-water and formaldehyde-ice systems for atmospheric applications.

    PubMed

    Barret, Manuel; Houdier, Stephan; Domine, Florent

    2011-01-27

    Formaldehyde (HCHO) is a species involved in numerous key atmospheric chemistry processes that can significantly impact the oxidative capacity of the atmosphere. Since gaseous HCHO is soluble in water, the water droplets of clouds and the ice crystals of snow exchange HCHO with the gas phase and the partitioning of HCHO between the air, water, and ice phases must be known to understand its chemistry. This study proposes thermodynamic formulations for the partitioning of HCHO between the gas phase and the ice and liquid water phases. A reanalysis of existing data on the vapor-liquid equilibrium has shown the inadequacy of the Henry's law formulation, and we instead propose the following equation to predict the mole fraction of HCHO in liquid water at equilibrium, X(HCHO,liq), as a function of the partial pressure P(HCHO) (Pa) and temperature T (K): X(HCHO,liq) = 1.700 × 10(-15) e((8014/T))(P(HCHO))(1.105). Given the paucity of data on the gas-ice equilibrium, the solubility of HCHO and the diffusion coefficient (D(HCHO)) in ice were measured by exposing large single ice crystals to low P(HCHO). Our recommended value for D(HCHO) over the temperature range 243-266 K is D(HCHO) = 6 × 10(-12) cm(2) s(-1). The solubility of HCHO in ice follows the relationship X(HCHO,ice) = 9.898 × 10(-13) e((4072/T))(P(HCHO))(0.803). Extrapolation of these data yields the P(HCHO) versus 1/T phase diagram for the H(2)O-HCHO system. The comparison of our results to existing data on the partitioning of HCHO between the snow and the atmosphere in the high arctic highlights the interplay between thermodynamic equilibrium and kinetics processes in natural systems.

  12. Arctic sea ice melt leads to atmospheric new particle formation.

    PubMed

    Dall Osto, M; Beddows, D C S; Tunved, P; Krejci, R; Ström, J; Hansson, H-C; Yoon, Y J; Park, Ki-Tae; Becagli, S; Udisti, R; Onasch, T; O Dowd, C D; Simó, R; Harrison, Roy M

    2017-06-12

    Atmospheric new particle formation (NPF) and growth significantly influences climate by supplying new seeds for cloud condensation and brightness. Currently, there is a lack of understanding of whether and how marine biota emissions affect aerosol-cloud-climate interactions in the Arctic. Here, the aerosol population was categorised via cluster analysis of aerosol size distributions taken at Mt Zeppelin (Svalbard) during a 11 year record. The daily temporal occurrence of NPF events likely caused by nucleation in the polar marine boundary layer was quantified annually as 18%, with a peak of 51% during summer months. Air mass trajectory analysis and atmospheric nitrogen and sulphur tracers link these frequent nucleation events to biogenic precursors released by open water and melting sea ice regions. The occurrence of such events across a full decade was anti-correlated with sea ice extent. New particles originating from open water and open pack ice increased the cloud condensation nuclei concentration background by at least ca. 20%, supporting a marine biosphere-climate link through sea ice melt and low altitude clouds that may have contributed to accelerate Arctic warming. Our results prompt a better representation of biogenic aerosol sources in Arctic climate models.

  13. Modelling sea ice formation in the Terra Nova Bay polynya

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sansiviero, M.; Morales Maqueda, M. Á.; Fusco, G.; Aulicino, G.; Flocco, D.; Budillon, G.

    2017-02-01

    Antarctic sea ice is constantly exported from the shore by strong near surface winds that open leads and large polynyas in the pack ice. The latter, known as wind-driven polynyas, are responsible for significant water mass modification due to the high salt flux into the ocean associated with enhanced ice growth. In this article, we focus on the wind-driven Terra Nova Bay (TNB) polynya, in the western Ross Sea. Brine rejected during sea ice formation processes that occur in the TNB polynya densifies the water column leading to the formation of the most characteristic water mass of the Ross Sea, the High Salinity Shelf Water (HSSW). This water mass, in turn, takes part in the formation of Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW), the densest water mass of the world ocean, which plays a major role in the global meridional overturning circulation, thus affecting the global climate system. A simple coupled sea ice-ocean model has been developed to simulate the seasonal cycle of sea ice formation and export within a polynya. The sea ice model accounts for both thermal and mechanical ice processes. The oceanic circulation is described by a one-and-a-half layer, reduced gravity model. The domain resolution is 1 km × 1 km, which is sufficient to represent the salient features of the coastline geometry, notably the Drygalski Ice Tongue. The model is forced by a combination of Era Interim reanalysis and in-situ data from automatic weather stations, and also by a climatological oceanic dataset developed from in situ hydrographic observations. The sensitivity of the polynya to the atmospheric forcing is well reproduced by the model when atmospheric in situ measurements are combined with reanalysis data. Merging the two datasets allows us to capture in detail the strength and the spatial distribution of the katabatic winds that often drive the opening of the polynya. The model resolves fairly accurately the sea ice drift and sea ice production rates in the TNB polynya, leading to

  14. Prebiotic chemistry in eutectic solutions at the water-ice matrix.

    PubMed

    Menor-Salván, César; Marín-Yaseli, Margarita R

    2012-08-21

    A crystalline ice matrix at subzero temperatures can maintain a liquid phase where organic solutes and salts concentrate to form eutectic solutions. This concentration effect converts the confined reactant solutions in the ice matrix, sometimes making condensation and polymerisation reactions occur more favourably. These reactions occur at significantly high rates from a prebiotic chemistry standpoint, and the labile products can be protected from degradation. The experimental study of the synthesis of nitrogen heterocycles at the ice-water system showed the efficiency of this scenario and could explain the origin of nucleobases in the inner Solar System bodies, including meteorites and extra-terrestrial ices, and on the early Earth. The same conditions can also favour the condensation of monomers to form ribonucleic acid and peptides. Together with the synthesis of these monomers, the ice world (i.e., the chemical evolution in the range between the freezing point of water and the limit of stability of liquid brines, 273 to 210 K) is an under-explored experimental model in prebiotic chemistry.

  15. Soot Aerosol Particles as Cloud Condensation Nuclei: from Ice Nucleation Activity to Ice Crystal Morphology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pirim, Claire; Ikhenazene, Raouf; Ortega, Isamel Kenneth; Carpentier, Yvain; Focsa, Cristian; Chazallon, Bertrand; Ouf, François-Xavier

    2016-04-01

    Emissions of solid-state particles (soot) from engine exhausts due to incomplete fuel combustion is considered to influence ice and liquid water cloud droplet activation [1]. The activity of these aerosols would originate from their ability to be important centers of ice-particle nucleation, as they would promote ice formation above water homogeneous freezing point. Soot particles are reported to be generally worse ice nuclei than mineral dust because they activate nucleation at higher ice-supersaturations for deposition nucleation and at lower temperatures for immersion freezing than ratios usually expected for homogeneous nucleation [2]. In fact, there are still numerous opened questions as to whether and how soot's physico-chemical properties (structure, morphology and chemical composition) can influence their nucleation ability. Therefore, systematic investigations of soot aerosol nucleation activity via one specific nucleation mode, here deposition nucleation, combined with thorough structural and compositional analyzes are needed in order to establish any association between the particles' activity and their physico-chemical properties. In addition, since the morphology of the ice crystals can influence their radiative properties [3], we investigated their morphology as they grow over both soot and pristine substrates at different temperatures and humidity ratios. In the present work, Combustion Aerosol STandart soot samples were produced from propane using various experimental conditions. Their nucleation activity was studied in deposition mode (from water vapor), and monitored using a temperature-controlled reactor in which the sample's relative humidity is precisely measured with a cryo-hygrometer. Formation of water/ice onto the particles is followed both optically and spectroscopically, using a microscope coupled to a Raman spectrometer. Vibrational signatures of hydroxyls (O-H) emerge when the particle becomes hydrated and are used to characterize ice

  16. Seasonally-Active Water on Mars: Vapour, Ice, Adsorbate, and the Possibility of Liquid

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Richardson, M. I.

    2002-12-01

    Seasonally-active water can be defined to include any water reservoir that communicates with other reservoirs on time scales of a year or shorter. It is the interaction of these water reservoirs, under the influence of varying solar radiation and in conjunction with surface and atmospheric temperatures, that determines the phase-stability field for water at the surface, and the distribution of water in various forms below, on, and above the surface. The atmosphere is the critical, dynamical link in this cycling system, and also (fortunately) one of the easiest to observe. Viking and Mars Global Surveyor observations paint a strongly asymmetric picture of the global seasonal water cycle, tied proximately to planetary eccentricity, and the existence of residual ice caps of different composition at the two poles. The northern summer experiences the largest water vapour columns, and is associated with sublimation from the northern residual water ice cap. The southern summer residual carbon dioxide ice cap is cold trap for water. Asymmetry in the water cycle is an unsolved problem. Possible solutions may involve the current timing of perihelion (the water cap resides at the pole experiencing the longer but cooler summer), the trapping of water ice in the northern hemisphere by tropical water ice clouds, and the bias in the annual-average, zonal-mean atmospheric circulation resulting from the zonal-mean difference in the elevation of the northern and southern hemispheres. Adsorbed and frozen water have proven harder to constrain. Recent Odyssey Gamma Ray Spectrometer results suggest substantial ground ice in the mid- and high-latitudes, but this water is likely below the seasonal skin depth for two reasons: the GRS results are best fit with such a model, and GCM models of the water cycle produce dramatically unrealistic atmospheric vapour distributions when such a very near surface, GRS-like distribution is initialized - ultimately removing the water to the northern and

  17. Lifshitz interaction can promote ice growth at water-silica interfaces

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Boström, Mathias; Malyi, Oleksandr I.; Parashar, Prachi; Shajesh, K. V.; Thiyam, Priyadarshini; Milton, Kimball A.; Persson, Clas; Parsons, Drew F.; Brevik, Iver

    2017-04-01

    At air-water interfaces, the Lifshitz interaction by itself does not promote ice growth. On the contrary, we find that the Lifshitz force promotes the growth of an ice film, up to 1-8 nm thickness, near silica-water interfaces at the triple point of water. This is achieved in a system where the combined effect of the retardation and the zero frequency mode influences the short-range interactions at low temperatures, contrary to common understanding. Cancellation between the positive and negative contributions in the Lifshitz spectral function is reversed in silica with high porosity. Our results provide a model for how water freezes on glass and other surfaces.

  18. Laser-induced plasma cloud interaction and ice multiplication under cirrus cloud conditions.

    PubMed

    Leisner, Thomas; Duft, Denis; Möhler, Ottmar; Saathoff, Harald; Schnaiter, Martin; Henin, Stefano; Stelmaszczyk, Kamil; Petrarca, Massimo; Delagrange, Raphaëlle; Hao, Zuoqiang; Lüder, Johannes; Petit, Yannick; Rohwetter, Philipp; Kasparian, Jérôme; Wolf, Jean-Pierre; Wöste, Ludger

    2013-06-18

    Potential impacts of lightning-induced plasma on cloud ice formation and precipitation have been a subject of debate for decades. Here, we report on the interaction of laser-generated plasma channels with water and ice clouds observed in a large cloud simulation chamber. Under the conditions of a typical storm cloud, in which ice and supercooled water coexist, no direct influence of the plasma channels on ice formation or precipitation processes could be detected. Under conditions typical for thin cirrus ice clouds, however, the plasma channels induced a surprisingly strong effect of ice multiplication. Within a few minutes, the laser action led to a strong enhancement of the total ice particle number density in the chamber by up to a factor of 100, even though only a 10(-9) fraction of the chamber volume was exposed to the plasma channels. The newly formed ice particles quickly reduced the water vapor pressure to ice saturation, thereby increasing the cloud optical thickness by up to three orders of magnitude. A model relying on the complete vaporization of ice particles in the laser filament and the condensation of the resulting water vapor on plasma ions reproduces our experimental findings. This surprising effect might open new perspectives for remote sensing of water vapor and ice in the upper troposphere.

  19. Sea ice off western Alaska

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2015-02-20

    On February 4, 2014 the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) flying aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite captured a true-color image of sea ice off of western Alaska. In this true-color image, the snow and ice covered land appears bright white while the floating sea ice appears a duller grayish-white. Snow over the land is drier, and reflects more light back to the instrument, accounting for the very bright color. Ice overlying oceans contains more water, and increasing water decreases reflectivity of ice, resulting in duller colors. Thinner ice is also duller. The ocean waters are tinted with green, likely due to a combination of sediment and phytoplankton. Alaska lies to the east in this image, and Russia to the west. The Bering Strait, covered with ice, lies between to two. South of the Bering Strait, the waters are known as the Bering Sea. To the north lies the Chukchi Sea. The bright white island south of the Bering Strait is St. Lawrence Island. Home to just over 1200 people, the windswept island belongs to the United States, but sits closer to Russia than to Alaska. To the southeast of the island a dark area, loosely covered with floating sea ice, marks a persistent polynya – an area of open water surrounded by more frozen sea ice. Due to the prevailing winds, which blow the sea ice away from the coast in this location, the area rarely completely freezes. The ice-covered areas in this image, as well as the Beaufort Sea, to the north, are critical areas for the survival of the ringed seal, a threatened species. The seals use the sea ice, including ice caves, to rear their young, and use the free-floating sea ice for molting, raising the young and breeding. In December 2014, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) proposed that much of this region be set aside as critical, protected habitat for the ringed seal. Credit: NASA/GSFC/Jeff Schmaltz/MODIS Land Rapid Response Team NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

  20. Estimating ice-affected streamflow by extended Kalman filtering

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Holtschlag, D.J.; Grewal, M.S.

    1998-01-01

    An extended Kalman filter was developed to automate the real-time estimation of ice-affected streamflow on the basis of routine measurements of stream stage and air temperature and on the relation between stage and streamflow during open-water (ice-free) conditions. The filter accommodates three dynamic modes of ice effects: sudden formation/ablation, stable ice conditions, and eventual elimination. The utility of the filter was evaluated by applying it to historical data from two long-term streamflow-gauging stations, St. John River at Dickey, Maine and Platte River at North Bend, Nebr. Results indicate that the filter was stable and that parameters converged for both stations, producing streamflow estimates that are highly correlated with published values. For the Maine station, logarithms of estimated streamflows are within 8% of the logarithms of published values 87.2% of the time during periods of ice effects and within 15% 96.6% of the time. Similarly, for the Nebraska station, logarithms of estimated streamflows are within 8% of the logarithms of published values 90.7% of the time and within 15% 97.7% of the time. In addition, the correlation between temporal updates and published streamflows on days of direct measurements at the Maine station was 0.777 and 0.998 for ice-affected and open-water periods, respectively; for the Nebraska station, corresponding correlations were 0.864 and 0.997.

  1. Water in Inhomogeneous Nanoconfinement: Coexistence of Multilayered Liquid and Transition to Ice Nanoribbons.

    PubMed

    Qiu, Hu; Zeng, Xiao Cheng; Guo, Wanlin

    2015-10-27

    Phase behavior and the associated phase transition of water within inhomogeneous nanoconfinement are investigated using molecular dynamics simulations. The nanoconfinement is constructed by a flat bottom plate and a convex top plate. At 300 K, the confined water can be viewed as a coexistence of monolayer, bilayer, and trilayer liquid domains to accommodate the inhomogeneous confinement. With increasing liquid density, the confined water with uneven layers transforms separately into two-dimensional ice crystals with unchanged layer number and rhombic in-plane symmetry for oxygen atoms. The monolayer water undergoes the transition first into a puckered ice nanoribbon, and the bilayer water transforms into a rhombic ice nanoribbon next, followed by the transition of trilayer water into a trilayer ice nanoribbon. The sequential localized liquid-to-solid transition within the inhomogeneous confinement can also be achieved by gradually decreasing the temperature at low liquid densities. These findings of phase behaviors of water under the inhomogeneous nanoconfinement not only extend the phase diagram of confined water but also have implications for realistic nanofluidic systems and microporous materials.

  2. Snowball Earth: Skating on Thin Ice?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Roberson, A. L.; Stout, A. M.; Pollard, D.; Kasting, J. F.

    2011-12-01

    There is evidence of at least two intervals of widespread glaciation during the late Neoproterozoic (600-800 Myr ago), which are commonly referred to as "Snowball Earth" episodes. The global nature of these events is indicated by the fact that glacial deposits are found at low paleolatitudes during this time. Models of a global glacial event have produced a variety of solutions at low latitudes: thick ice, thin ice, slushball, and open ocean . The latter two models are similar, except that the slushball model has its ice-line at higher latitudes. To be viable, a model has to be able to account for the survival of life through the glaciations and also explain the existence of cap carbonates and other glacial debris deposited at low latitudes. The "thick-ice" model is not viable because kilometers of ice prevent the penetration of light necessary for the photosynthetic biota below. The "slushball" model is also not viable as it does not allow the formation of cap carbonates. The "thin-ice" model has been discussed previously and can account for continuation of photosynthetic life and glacial deposits at low paleolatitudes. The recently proposed "open-ocean" or "Jormungand" model also satisfies these requirements. What is it, though, that causes some models to produce thin ice near the equator and others to have open water there? We examine this question using a zonally symmetric energy balance climate model (EBM) with flowing sea glaciers to determine what parameter ranges produce each type of solution.

  3. Seafloor Control on Sea Ice

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Nghiem, S. V.; Clemente-Colon, P.; Rigor, I. G.; Hall, D. K.; Neumann, G.

    2011-01-01

    The seafloor has a profound role in Arctic sea ice formation and seasonal evolution. Ocean bathymetry controls the distribution and mixing of warm and cold waters, which may originate from different sources, thereby dictating the pattern of sea ice on the ocean surface. Sea ice dynamics, forced by surface winds, are also guided by seafloor features in preferential directions. Here, satellite mapping of sea ice together with buoy measurements are used to reveal the bathymetric control on sea ice growth and dynamics. Bathymetric effects on sea ice formation are clearly observed in the conformation between sea ice patterns and bathymetric characteristics in the peripheral seas. Beyond local features, bathymetric control appears over extensive ice-prone regions across the Arctic Ocean. The large-scale conformation between bathymetry and patterns of different synoptic sea ice classes, including seasonal and perennial sea ice, is identified. An implication of the bathymetric influence is that the maximum extent of the total sea ice cover is relatively stable, as observed by scatterometer data in the decade of the 2000s, while the minimum ice extent has decreased drastically. Because of the geologic control, the sea ice cover can expand only as far as it reaches the seashore, the continental shelf break, or other pronounced bathymetric features in the peripheral seas. Since the seafloor does not change significantly for decades or centuries, sea ice patterns can be recurrent around certain bathymetric features, which, once identified, may help improve short-term forecast and seasonal outlook of the sea ice cover. Moreover, the seafloor can indirectly influence cloud cover by its control on sea ice distribution, which differentially modulates the latent heat flux through ice covered and open water areas.

  4. Using Satellite-derived Ice Concentration to Represent Antarctic Coastal Polynyas in Ocean Climate Models

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Stoessel, Achim; Markus, Thorsten

    2003-01-01

    The focus of this paper is on the representation of Antarctic coastal polynyas in global ice-ocean general circulation models (OGCMs), in particular their local, regional, and high-frequency behavior. This is verified with the aid of daily ice concentration derived from satellite passive microwave data using the NASATeam 2 (NT2) and the bootstrap (BS) algorithms. Large systematic regional and temporal discrepancies arise, some of which are related to the type of convection parameterization used in the model. An attempt is made to improve the fresh-water flux associated with melting and freezing in Antarctic coastal polynyas by ingesting (assimilating) satellite ice concentration where it comes to determining the thermodynamics of the open-water fraction of a model grid cell. Since the NT2 coastal open-water fraction (polynyas) tends to be less extensive than the simulated one in the decisive season and region, assimilating NT2 coastal ice concentration yields overall reduced net freezing rates, smaller formation rates of Antarctic Bottom Water, and a stronger southward flow of North Atlantic Deep Water across 30 S. Enhanced net freezing rates occur regionally when NT2 coastal ice concentration is assimilated, concomitant with a more realistic ice thickness distribution and accumulation of High-Salinity Shelf Water. Assimilating BS rather than NT2 coastal ice concentration, the differences to the non-assimilated simulation are generally smaller and of opposite sign. This suggests that the model reproduces coastal ice concentration in closer agreement with the BS data than with the NT2 data, while more realistic features emerge when NT2 data are assimilated.

  5. Can xenon in water inhibit ice growth? Molecular dynamics of phase transitions in water-Xe system.

    PubMed

    Artyukhov, Vasilii I; Pulver, Alexander Yu; Peregudov, Alex; Artyuhov, Igor

    2014-07-21

    Motivated by recent experiments showing the promise of noble gases as cryoprotectants, we perform molecular dynamics modeling of phase transitions in water with xenon under cooling. We follow the structure and dynamics of xenon water solution as a function of temperature. Homogeneous nucleation of clathrate hydrate phase is observed and characterized. As the temperature is further reduced we observe hints of dissociation of clathrate due to stronger hydrophobic hydration, pointing towards a possible instability of clathrate at cryogenic temperatures and conversion to an amorphous phase comprised of "xenon + hydration shell" Xe·(H2O)21.5 clusters. Simulations of ice-xenon solution interface in equilibrium and during ice growth reveal the effects of xenon on the ice-liquid interface, where adsorbed xenon causes roughening of ice surface but does not preferentially form clathrate. These results provide evidence against the ice-blocker mechanism of xenon cryoprotection.

  6. Water Ice on Kuiper Belt Object 1996 TO66

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Brown, R. H.; Cruikshank, D. P.; Pendleton, Y.

    1999-01-01

    The 1.40-2.40 micron spectrum of Kuiper Belt object (KBO) 1996 TO66 was measured at the Keck Observatory in September 1998. It's spectrum shows the strong absorptions near 1.5 and 2.0 micron characteristic of water ice--the first such detection on a Kuiper Belt object. The depth of the absorption bands and the continuum reflectance of 1996 TO66 also suggest the presence of a black to slightly blue-colored, spectrally featureless particulate material as a minority component mixed with the water ice. In addition, there is evidence that the intensity of the water bands in the spectrum of 1996 TO66 vary with rotational phase suggesting that it has a "patchy" surface.

  7. Soil Water Content Sensors as a Method of Measuring Ice Depth

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Whitaker, E.; Reed, D. E.; Desai, A. R.

    2015-12-01

    Lake ice depth provides important information about local and regional climate change, weather patterns, and recreational safety, as well as impacting in situ ecology and carbon cycling. However, it is challenging to measure ice depth continuously from a remote location, as existing methods are too large, expensive, and/or time-intensive. Therefore, we present a novel application that reduces the size and cost issues by using soil water content reflectometer sensors. Analysis of sensors deployed in an environmental chamber using a scale model of a lake demonstrated their value as accurate measures of the change in ice depth over any time period, through measurement of the liquid-to-solid phase change. A robust correlation exists between volumetric water content in time as a function of environmental temperature. This relationship allows us to convert volumetric water content into ice depth. An array of these sensors will be placed in Lake Mendota, Madison, Wisconsin in winter 2015-2016, to create a temporally high-resolution ice depth record, which will be used for ecological or climatological studies while also being transmitted to the public to increase recreational safety.

  8. Notable increases in nutrient concentrations in a shallow lake during seasonal ice growth.

    PubMed

    Fang, Yang; Changyou, Li; Leppäranta, Matti; Xiaonghong, Shi; Shengnan, Zhao; Chengfu, Zhang

    2016-12-01

    Nutrients may be eliminated from ice when liquid water is freezing, resulting in enhanced concentrations in the unfrozen water. The nutrients diluted from the ice may contribute to accumulated concentrations in sediment during winter and an increased risk of algae blooms during the following spring and summer. The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of ice cover on nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) concentrations in the water and sediment of a shallow lake, through an examination of Ulansuhai Lake, northern China, from the period of open water to ice season in 2011-2013. The N and P concentrations were between two and five times higher, and between two and eight times higher, than in unfrozen lakes, respectively. As the ice thickness grew, contents of total N and total P showed C-shaped profiles in the ice, and were lower in the middle layer and higher in the bottom and surface layers. Most of the nutrients were released from the ice to liquid water. The results confirm that ice can cause the nutrient concentrations in water and sediment during winter to increase dramatically, thereby significantly impacting on processes in the water environment of shallow lakes.

  9. Instrument for Aircraft-Icing and Cloud-Physics Measurements

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lilie, Lyle; Bouley, Dan; Sivo, Chris

    2006-01-01

    The figure shows a compact, rugged, simple sensor head that is part of an instrumentation system for making measurements to characterize the severity of aircraft-icing conditions and/or to perform research on cloud physics. The quantities that are calculated from measurement data acquired by this system and that are used to quantify the severity of icing conditions include sizes of cloud water drops, cloud liquid water content (LWC), cloud ice water content (IWC), and cloud total water content (TWC). The sensor head is mounted on the outside of an aircraft, positioned and oriented to intercept the ambient airflow. The sensor head consists of an open housing that is heated in a controlled manner to keep it free of ice and that contains four hot-wire elements. The hot-wire sensing elements have different shapes and sizes and, therefore, exhibit different measurement efficiencies with respect to droplet size and water phase (liquid, frozen, or mixed). Three of the hot-wire sensing elements are oriented across the airflow so as to intercept incoming cloud water. For each of these elements, the LWC or TWC affects the power required to maintain a constant temperature in the presence of cloud water.

  10. Homogeneous ice nucleation and supercooled liquid water in orographic wave clouds

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Heymsfield, Andrew J.; Miloshevich, Larry M.

    1993-01-01

    This study investigates ice nucleation mechanisms in cold lenticular wave clouds, a cloud type characterized by quasi-steady-state air motions and microphysical properties. It is concluded that homogeneous ice nucleation is responsible for the ice production in these clouds at temperatures below about -33 C. The lack of ice nucleation observed above -33 C indicates a dearth of ice-forming nuclei, and hence heterogeneous ice nucleation, in these clouds. Aircraft measurements in the temperature range -31 to -41 C show the following complement of simultaneous and abrupt changes in cloud properties that indicate a transition from the liquid phase to ice: disappearance of liquid water; decrease in relative humidity from near water saturation to ice saturation; increase in mean particle size; change in particle concentration; and change in temperature due to the release of latent heat. A numerical model of cloud particle growth and homogeneous ice nucleation is used to aid in interpretation of our in situ measurements. The abrupt changes in observed cloud properties compare favorably, both qualitatively and quantitatively, with results from the homogeneous ice nucleation model. It is shown that the homogeneous ice nucleation rates from the measurements are consistent with the temperature-dependent rates employed by the model (within a factor of 100, corresponding to about 1 C in temperature) in the temperature range -35 deg to -38 C. Given the theoretical basis of the modeled rates, it may be reasonable to apply them throughout the -30 to -50 C temperature range considered by the theory.

  11. Marginal Ice Zone: Biogeochemical Sampling with Gliders

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2014-09-30

    chlorophyll primary productivity model to estimate and compare phytoplankton productivity under full ice cover, in the MIZ, and in open ice-free water...September, the gliders and still operating but will be retrieved in early October from the R/V Norseman. All gliders carried sensors for chlorophyll ...program, with modification for local conditions. The specific protocols for each sensor – backscatter and chlorophyll fluorescence – are described in

  12. Modeling Primary Productivity in the Margin Ice Zone from Glider-Based Measurements of Chlorophyll and Light during the 2014 Miz Program

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Perry, M. J.; Lee, C.; Rainville, L.; Cetinic, I.; Yang, E. J.; Kang, S. H.

    2016-02-01

    In late summer 2014 during the Marginal Ice Zone (MIZ) Experiment, an international project sponsored by ONR, four Seagliders transited open water, through the marginal ice zone, and under ice-covered regions in the Beaufort Sea, penetrating as far as 100 km into the ice pack. The gliders navigated either by GPS in open water or, when under the ice, by acoustics from sound sources embedded in the MIZ autonomous observing array. The glider sensor suite included temperature, temperature microstructure, salinity, oxygen, chlorophyll fluorescence, optical backscatter, and multi-spectral downwelling irradiance. Cruises on the IBRV Araon operating in the open Beaufort Sea and on the R/V Ukpik and Norseman operating in continental shelf waters off Alaska's north slope allowed us to construct proxy libraries for converting chlorophyll fluorescence to chlorophyll concentration and optical backscatter to particulate organic carbon concentration. Water samples were collected for chlorophyll and particulate organic carbon analysis on the cruises and aligned with optical profiles of fluorescence and backscatter using sensors that were factory calibrated at the same time as the glider sensors. Fields of chlorophyll, particulate organic carbon, light, and primary productivity are constructed from the glider data. Productivity is modeled as a function of chlorophyll and light, using photosynthesis-light (PE) models with available PE parameters from Arctic measurements. During August the region under the ice was characterized by a deep chlorophyll maximum layer with low rates of production in overlying waters. A phytoplankton bloom developed in open water at the end of September, preceding the rapid reformation of ice, despite shorter days and reduce irradiation.

  13. Observed microphysical changes in Arctic mixed-phase clouds when transitioning from sea-ice to open ocean

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Young, Gillian; Jones, Hazel M.; Crosier, Jonathan; Bower, Keith N.; Darbyshire, Eoghan; Taylor, Jonathan W.; Liu, Dantong; Allan, James D.; Williams, Paul I.; Gallagher, Martin W.; Choularton, Thomas W.

    2016-04-01

    The Arctic sea-ice is intricately coupled to the atmosphere[1]. The decreasing sea-ice extent with the changing climate raises questions about how Arctic cloud structure will respond. Any effort to answer these questions is hindered by the scarcity of atmospheric observations in this region. Comprehensive cloud and aerosol measurements could allow for an improved understanding of the relationship between surface conditions and cloud structure; knowledge which could be key in validating weather model forecasts. Previous studies[2] have shown via remote sensing that cloudiness increases over the marginal ice zone (MIZ) and ocean with comparison to the sea-ice; however, to our knowledge, detailed in-situ data of this transition have not been previously presented. In 2013, the Aerosol-Cloud Coupling and Climate Interactions in the Arctic (ACCACIA) campaign was carried out in the vicinity of Svalbard, Norway to collect in-situ observations of the Arctic atmosphere and investigate this issue. Fitted with a suite of remote sensing, cloud and aerosol instrumentation, the FAAM BAe-146 aircraft was used during the spring segment of the campaign (Mar-Apr 2013). One case study (23rd Mar 2013) produced excellent coverage of the atmospheric changes when transitioning from sea-ice, through the MIZ, to the open ocean. Clear microphysical changes were observed, with the cloud liquid-water content increasing by almost four times over the transition. Cloud base, depth and droplet number also increased, whilst ice number concentrations decreased slightly. The surface warmed by ~13 K from sea-ice to ocean, with minor differences in aerosol particle number (of sizes corresponding to Cloud Condensation Nuclei or Ice Nucleating Particles) observed, suggesting that the primary driver of these microphysical changes was the increased heat fluxes and induced turbulence from the warm ocean surface as expected. References: [1] Kapsch, M.L., Graversen, R.G. and Tjernström, M. Springtime

  14. High-contrast observations of (136108) Haumea. A crystalline water-ice multiple system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dumas, C.; Carry, B.; Hestroffer, D.; Merlin, F.

    2011-04-01

    Context. The trans-Neptunian region of the Solar System is populated by a wide variety of icy bodies showing great diversity in orbital behavior, size, surface color, and composition. One can also see there are dynamical families and binary systems. One surprising feature detected in the spectra of some of the largest trans-Neptunians is the presence of crystalline water-ice. This is the case for the large TNO (136 108) Haumea (2003 EL61). Aims: We seek to constrain the state of the water ice of Haumea and its satellites and to investigate possible energy sources that maintain the water ice in its crystalline form. Methods: Spectro-imaging observations in the near infrared were performed with the integral field spectrograph SINFONI mounted on UT4 at the ESO Very Large Telescope. The spectra of both Haumea and its larger satellite Hi'iaka were analyzed. Relative astrometry of the components was also measured, providing a check of the orbital solutions and equinox seasons. Results: We describe the physical characteristics of the crystalline water-ice present on the surface of Haumea and its largest satellite Hi'iaka and analyze possible sources of heating to maintain water in a crystalline state: tidal dissipation in the system components vs. radiogenic source. The surface of Hi'iaka appears to be covered by large grains of water ice, almost entirely in its crystalline form. Under some restricted conditions, both radiogenic heating and tidal forces between Haumea and Hi'iaka could provide the energy needed to maintain the ice in its crystalline state. Based on observations collected at the European Southern Observatory, Paranal, Chile - 60.A-9235.

  15. Improved Instrument for Detecting Water and Ice in Soil

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Buehler, Martin; Chin, Keith; Keymeulen, Didler; McCann, Timothy; Seshadri, Suesh; Anderson, Robert

    2009-01-01

    An instrument measures electrical properties of relatively dry soils to determine their liquid water and/or ice contents. Designed as a prototype of instruments for measuring the liquid-water and ice contents of lunar and planetary soils, the apparatus could also be utilized for similar purposes in research and agriculture involving terrestrial desert soils and sands, and perhaps for measuring ice buildup on aircraft surfaces. This instrument is an improved version of the apparatus described in Measuring Low Concentrations of Liquid Water and Ice in Soil (NPO-41822), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 33, No. 2 (February 2009), page 22. The designs of both versions are based on the fact that the electrical behavior of a typical soil sample is well approximated by a network of resistors and capacitors in which resistances decrease and capacitances increase (and the magnitude and phase angle of impedance changes accordingly) with increasing water content. The previous version included an impedance spectrometer and a jar into which a sample of soil was placed. Four stainless-steel screws at the bottom of the jar were used as electrodes of a fourpoint impedance probe connected to the spectrometer. The present instrument does not include a sample jar and can be operated without acquiring or handling samples. Its impedance probe consists of a compact assembly of electrodes housed near the tip of a cylinder. The electrodes protrude slightly from the cylinder (see Figure 1). In preparation for measurements, the cylinder is simply pushed into the ground to bring the soil into contact with the electrodes.

  16. Water Ice Cloud Opacities and Temperatures Derived from the Viking IRTM Data Set

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    TamppariL. K.; Zurek, R. W.; Paige, D. A.

    1999-01-01

    The degree to which water ice clouds play a role in the Mars climate is unknown. Latent heating of water ice clouds is small and since most hazes appeared to be thin (tau less than or = 1) their radiative effects have been neglected. Condensation likely limits the vertical extent of water vapor in the water column and a lowering of the condensation altitude, as seen in the northern spring and summer, could increase the seasonal exchange of water between the atmosphere and the surface. It has been suggested that water ice cloud formation is more frequent and widespread in the aphelic hemisphere (currently the northern). This may limit water to the northern hemisphere through greater exchange with the regolith and through restricted southward transport of water vapor by the Mars Hadley circulation. In addition, it has been suggested that water ice cloud formation also controls the vertical distribution of atmospheric dust in some seasons. This scavenging of dust may Continuing from the IRTM cloud maps, derived cloud opacities and cloud temperatures for several locations and seasons will be presented. Sensitivities to cloud particle sizes, surface temperature, and dust opacity will be discussed.

  17. The Large Scale Distribution of Water Ice in the Polar Regions of the Moon

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jordan, A.; Wilson, J. K.; Schwadron, N.; Spence, H. E.

    2017-12-01

    For in situ resource utilization, one must know where water ice is on the Moon. Many datasets have revealed both surface deposits of water ice and subsurface deposits of hydrogen near the lunar poles, but it has proved difficult to resolve the differences among the locations of these deposits. Despite these datasets disagreeing on how deposits are distributed on small scales, we show that most of these datasets do agree on the large scale distribution of water ice. We present data from the Cosmic Ray Telescope for the Effects of Radiation (CRaTER) on the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), LRO's Lunar Exploration Neutron Detector (LEND), the Neutron Spectrometer on Lunar Prospector (LPNS), LRO's Lyman Alpha Mapping Project (LAMP), LRO's Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA), and Chandrayaan-1's Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3). All, including those that show clear evidence for water ice, reveal surprisingly similar trends with latitude, suggesting that both surface and subsurface datasets are measuring ice. All show that water ice increases towards the poles, and most demonstrate that its signature appears at about ±70° latitude and increases poleward. This is consistent with simulations of how surface and subsurface cold traps are distributed with latitude. This large scale agreement constrains the origin of the ice, suggesting that an ancient cometary impact (or impacts) created a large scale deposit that has been rendered locally heterogeneous by subsequent impacts. Furthermore, it also shows that water ice may be available down to ±70°—latitudes that are more accessible than the poles for landing.

  18. Patterns of ice nuclei from natural water sources in the mountains of Tirol, Austria

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Baloh, Philipp; Hanlon, Regina; Pietsch, Renee; Anderson, Christopher; Schmale, David G., III; Grothe, Hinrich

    2017-04-01

    Heterogeneous ice nucleation—the process by which particles can nucleate ice between 0 and -35°C—is important for generating artificial snow. Though abiotic and biotic ice nuclei are present in many different natural and managed ecosystems, little is known about their nature, sources, and ecological roles. We collected samples of water and snow from the mountains of Tyrol, Austria in June, July, and November, 2016. The collected water was mostly from sources with minimal anthropogenic pollution, since most of the water from the sampled streams came from glacial melt. The samples were filtered through a 0.22μm filter, and microorganisms were cultured on different types of media. Resulting colonies were tested for their ice nucleation ability using a droplet freezing assay and identified to the level of the species. The unfiltered water and the filtered water will be subjected to additional assays using cryo microscopy and vibrational microscopy (IR and Raman- spectroscopy). Preliminary analyses suggested that the percentage of ice-nucleating microbes varied with season; greater percentages of ice nucleating microbes were present during colder months. The glacial melt also varies strongly over the year with the fraction of mineral dust suspended in it which serves as an inorganic ice nucleation agent. Further investigation of these samples may help to show the combined ice nuleation abilities of biological and non biological particles present in the mountains of Tirol, Austria. Future work may shed light on how the nucleation properties of the natural water changes with the time of the year and what may be responsible for these changes.

  19. Peculiarities of methane clathrate hydrate formation and solid-state deformation, including possible superheating of water ice

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Stern, L.A.; Kirby, S.H.; Durham, W.B.

    1996-01-01

    Slow, constant-volume heating of water ice plus methane gas mixtures forms methane clathrate hydrate by a progressive reaction that occurs at the nascent ice/liquid water interface. As this reaction proceeds, the rate of melting of metastable water ice may be suppressed to allow short-lived superheating of ice to at least 276 kelvin. Plastic flow properties measured on clathrate test specimens are significantly different from those of water ice; under nonhydrostatic stress, methane clathrate undergoes extensive strain hardening and a process of solid-state disproportionation or exsolution at conditions well within its conventional hydrostatic stability field.

  20. Quantification of unsteady heat transfer and phase changing process inside small icing water droplets.

    PubMed

    Jin, Zheyan; Hu, Hui

    2009-05-01

    We report progress made in our recent effort to develop and implement a novel, lifetime-based molecular tagging thermometry (MTT) technique to quantify unsteady heat transfer and phase changing process inside small icing water droplets pertinent to wind turbine icing phenomena. The lifetime-based MTT technique was used to achieve temporally and spatially resolved temperature distribution measurements within small, convectively cooled water droplets to quantify unsteady heat transfer within the small water droplets in the course of convective cooling process. The transient behavior of phase changing process within small icing water droplets was also revealed clearly by using the MTT technique. Such measurements are highly desirable to elucidate underlying physics to improve our understanding about important microphysical phenomena pertinent to ice formation and accreting process as water droplets impinging onto wind turbine blades.

  1. Microbiological quality of ice and ice machines used in food establishments.

    PubMed

    Hampikyan, Hamparsun; Bingol, Enver Baris; Cetin, Omer; Colak, Hilal

    2017-06-01

    The ice used in the food industry has to be safe and the water used in ice production should have the quality of drinking water. The consumption of contaminated ice directly or indirectly may be a vehicle for transmission of pathogenic bacteria to humans producing outbreaks of gastrointestinal diseases. The objective of this study was to monitor the microbiological quality of ice, the water used in producing ice and the hygienic conditions of ice making machines in various food enterprises. Escherichia coli was detected in seven (6.7%) ice and 23 (21.9%) ice chest samples whereas E. coli was negative in all examined water samples. Psychrophilic bacteria were detected in 83 (79.0%) of 105 ice chest and in 68 (64.7%) of 105 ice samples, whereas Enterococci were detected only in 13 (12.4%) ice samples. Coliforms were detected in 13 (12.4%) water, 71 (67.6%) ice chest and 54 (51.4%) ice samples. In order to improve the microbiological quality of ice, the maintenance, cleaning and disinfecting of ice machines should be carried out effectively and periodically. Also, high quality water should be used for ice production.

  2. Exposed water ice discovered near the south pole of Mars

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Titus, T.N.; Kieffer, H.H.; Christensen, P.R.

    2003-01-01

    The Mars Odyssey Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) has discovered water ice exposed near the edge of Mars' southern perennial polar cap. The surface H2O ice was first observed by THEMIS as a region that was cooler than expected for dry soil at that latitude during the summer season. Diurnal and seasonal temperature trends derived from Mars Global Surveyor Thermal Emission Spectrometer observations indicate that there is H2O ice at the surface. Viking observations, and the few other relevant THEMIS observations, indicate that surface H2O ice may be widespread around and under the perennial CO2 cap.

  3. Improved methodologies for continuous-flow analysis of stable water isotopes in ice cores

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jones, Tyler R.; White, James W. C.; Steig, Eric J.; Vaughn, Bruce H.; Morris, Valerie; Gkinis, Vasileios; Markle, Bradley R.; Schoenemann, Spruce W.

    2017-02-01

    Water isotopes in ice cores are used as a climate proxy for local temperature and regional atmospheric circulation as well as evaporative conditions in moisture source regions. Traditional measurements of water isotopes have been achieved using magnetic sector isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS). However, a number of recent studies have shown that laser absorption spectrometry (LAS) performs as well or better than IRMS. The new LAS technology has been combined with continuous-flow analysis (CFA) to improve data density and sample throughput in numerous prior ice coring projects. Here, we present a comparable semi-automated LAS-CFA system for measuring high-resolution water isotopes of ice cores. We outline new methods for partitioning both system precision and mixing length into liquid and vapor components - useful measures for defining and improving the overall performance of the system. Critically, these methods take into account the uncertainty of depth registration that is not present in IRMS nor fully accounted for in other CFA studies. These analyses are achieved using samples from a South Pole firn core, a Greenland ice core, and the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) Divide ice core. The measurement system utilizes a 16-position carousel contained in a freezer to consecutively deliver ˜ 1 m × 1.3 cm2 ice sticks to a temperature-controlled melt head, where the ice is converted to a continuous liquid stream and eventually vaporized using a concentric nebulizer for isotopic analysis. An integrated delivery system for water isotope standards is used for calibration to the Vienna Standard Mean Ocean Water (VSMOW) scale, and depth registration is achieved using a precise overhead laser distance device with an uncertainty of ±0.2 mm. As an added check on the system, we perform inter-lab LAS comparisons using WAIS Divide ice samples, a corroboratory step not taken in prior CFA studies. The overall results are important for substantiating data obtained from LAS

  4. Satellite-derived ice data sets no. 2: Arctic monthly average microwave brightness temperatures and sea ice concentrations, 1973-1976

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Parkinson, C. L.; Comiso, J. C.; Zwally, H. J.

    1987-01-01

    A summary data set for four years (mid 70's) of Arctic sea ice conditions is available on magnetic tape. The data include monthly and yearly averaged Nimbus 5 electrically scanning microwave radiometer (ESMR) brightness temperatures, an ice concentration parameter derived from the brightness temperatures, monthly climatological surface air temperatures, and monthly climatological sea level pressures. All data matrices are applied to 293 by 293 grids that cover a polar stereographic map enclosing the 50 deg N latitude circle. The grid size varies from about 32 X 32 km at the poles to about 28 X 28 km at 50 deg N. The ice concentration parameter is calculated assuming that the field of view contains only open water and first-year ice with an ice emissivity of 0.92. To account for the presence of multiyear ice, a nomogram is provided relating the ice concentration parameter, the total ice concentration, and the fraction of the ice cover which is multiyear ice.

  5. Wind-sea surface temperature-sea ice relationship in the Chukchi-Beaufort Seas during autumn

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Jing; Stegall, Steve T.; Zhang, Xiangdong

    2018-03-01

    Dramatic climate changes, especially the largest sea ice retreat during September and October, in the Chukchi-Beaufort Seas could be a consequence of, and further enhance, complex air-ice-sea interactions. To detect these interaction signals, statistical relationships between surface wind speed, sea surface temperature (SST), and sea ice concentration (SIC) were analyzed. The results show a negative correlation between wind speed and SIC. The relationships between wind speed and SST are complicated by the presence of sea ice, with a negative correlation over open water but a positive correlation in sea ice dominated areas. The examination of spatial structures indicates that wind speed tends to increase when approaching the ice edge from open water and the area fully covered by sea ice. The anomalous downward radiation and thermal advection, as well as their regional distribution, play important roles in shaping these relationships, though wind-driven sub-grid scale boundary layer processes may also have contributions. Considering the feedback loop involved in the wind-SST-SIC relationships, climate model experiments would be required to further untangle the underlying complex physical processes.

  6. Contrasts in Sea Ice Deformation and Production in the Arctic Seasonal and Perennial Ice Zones

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kwok, K.

    2006-01-01

    Four years (1997-2000) of RADARSAT Geophysical Processor System (RGPS) data are used to contrast the sea ice deformation and production regionally, and in the seasonal (SIZ) and perennial (PIZ) ice zones. Ice production is of seasonal ice in openings during the winter. Three-day estimates of these quantities are provided within Lagrangian elements initially 10 km on a side. A distinct seasonal cycle is seen in both zones with these estimates highest in the late fall and with seasonal minimums in the midwinter. Regional divergence over the winter could be up to 30%. Spatially, the highest deformation is seen in the SIZ north of coastal Alaska. Both ice deformation and production are higher in the SIZ: deformation-related ice production in the SIZ (approx.0.5 m) is 1.5-2.3 times that of the PIZ (approx.0.3 m): this is connected to ice strength and thickness. Atmospheric forcing and boundary layer structure contribute to only the seasonal and interannual variability. Seasonal ice growth in ice fractures accounts for approx.25-40% of the total ice production of the Arctic Ocean. Uncertainties in these estimates are discussed. By itself, this deformation-ice production relationship could be considered a negative feedback when thickness is perturbed. However, the overall effect on ice production in the face of increasing seasonal and thinner/weaker ice coverage could be modified by local destabilization of the water column promoting overturning of warmer water due to increased brine rejection; and the upwelling of the pynocline associated with increased occurrence of large shear motion in sea ice. Divergence is shown to be negligibly correlated to cyclonic motion in summer and winter in both ice zones.

  7. Modelling water flow under glaciers and ice sheets.

    PubMed

    Flowers, Gwenn E

    2015-04-08

    Recent observations of dynamic water systems beneath the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets have sparked renewed interest in modelling subglacial drainage. The foundations of today's models were laid decades ago, inspired by measurements from mountain glaciers, discovery of the modern ice streams and the study of landscapes evacuated by former ice sheets. Models have progressed from strict adherence to the principles of groundwater flow, to the incorporation of flow 'elements' specific to the subglacial environment, to sophisticated two-dimensional representations of interacting distributed and channelized drainage. Although presently in a state of rapid development, subglacial drainage models, when coupled to models of ice flow, are now able to reproduce many of the canonical phenomena that characterize this coupled system. Model calibration remains generally out of reach, whereas widespread application of these models to large problems and real geometries awaits the next level of development.

  8. Modelling water flow under glaciers and ice sheets

    PubMed Central

    Flowers, Gwenn E.

    2015-01-01

    Recent observations of dynamic water systems beneath the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets have sparked renewed interest in modelling subglacial drainage. The foundations of today's models were laid decades ago, inspired by measurements from mountain glaciers, discovery of the modern ice streams and the study of landscapes evacuated by former ice sheets. Models have progressed from strict adherence to the principles of groundwater flow, to the incorporation of flow ‘elements’ specific to the subglacial environment, to sophisticated two-dimensional representations of interacting distributed and channelized drainage. Although presently in a state of rapid development, subglacial drainage models, when coupled to models of ice flow, are now able to reproduce many of the canonical phenomena that characterize this coupled system. Model calibration remains generally out of reach, whereas widespread application of these models to large problems and real geometries awaits the next level of development. PMID:27547082

  9. Trends in sea ice cover within habitats used by bowhead whales in the western Arctic.

    PubMed

    Moore, Sue E; Laidre, Kristin L

    2006-06-01

    We examined trends in sea ice cover between 1979 and 2002 in four months (March, June, September, and November) for four large (approximately 100,000 km2) and 12 small (approximately 10,000 km2) regions of the western Arctic in habitats used by bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus). Variation in open water with year was significant in all months except March, but interactions between region and year were not. Open water increased in both large and small regions, but trends were weak with least-squares regression accounting for < or =34% of the total variation. In large regions, positive trends in open water were strongest in September. Linear fits were poor, however, even in the East Siberian, Chukchi, and Beaufort seas, where basin-scale analyses have emphasized dramatic sea ice loss. Small regions also showed weak positive trends in open water and strong interannual variability. Open water increased consistently in five small regions where bowhead whales have been observed feeding or where oceanographic models predict prey entrainment, including: (1) June, along the northern Chukotka coast, near Wrangel Island, and along the Beaufort slope; (2) September, near Wrangel Island, the Barrow Arc, and the Chukchi Borderland; and (3) November, along the Barrow Arc. Conversely, there was very little consistent change in sea ice cover in four small regions considered winter refugia for bowhead whales in the northern Bering Sea, nor in two small regions that include the primary springtime migration corridor in the Chukchi Sea. The effects of sea ice cover on bowhead whale prey availability are unknown but can be modeled via production and advection pathways. Our conceptual model suggests that reductions in sea ice cover will increase prey availability along both pathways for this population. This analysis elucidates the variability inherent in the western Arctic marine ecosystem at scales relevant to bowhead whales and contrasts basin-scale depictions of extreme sea ice

  10. The Effects of Salt Water on Mechanical Properties of Glacial Ice

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Holt, R. A.; McCarthy, C.

    2017-12-01

    An improved understanding of the mechanical properties of glacial ice, including factors that may change them, is essential for understanding vulnerability of ice sheets to climate change. It is understood that the temperature of intruding subglacial seawater affects the melting of glacial ice and therefore destabilizes ice shelves, but we hypothesize that seawater bathing the bottom of the glacier may also influence mechanical properties such as friction and elastic modulus. We undertook experiments to determine how the presence of saline solution at grain boundaries of ice might lead to weaker behavior. We created an ice sample by finely grinding and sieving seed ice, pressing it into a rectangular mold, and flooding with a 3.5wt% saline solution. We then quickly brought it to subsolidus (-22°) to completely freeze. The bulk composition of the sample was determined by refractive index to be 0.28wt%. Microstructural characterization of the sample indicates that, above the solidus, the melt phase was located at grain triple junctions and along grain boundaries. To test the frictional behavior of ice with saline sliding against rock, we used a cryo-biaxial apparatus designed to simulate the basal sliding of glacial ice. The experiments were run in the double direct configuration at 100 KPa normal stress and at T=-5°. The results demonstrate that ice containing a liquid saline solution has lower steady state friction than pure ice at the same conditions, and therefore can slip at a faster velocity. In addition to the bi-axial experiment we determined the elastic properties using an ultrasonic velocity testing system. P waves velocities through the saline ice sample were consistent with published values (Spencer et al., 1968, JGR). We also used both measured and estimated values to calculate the Young's modulus. We found that ice containing salt water has a lower Young's modulus than that of pure ice. Salt water significantly changes the mechanical properties of

  11. When ice meets water: Sub-aqueous melt and its relevance in various settings

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Truffer, M.; Motyka, R. J.

    2014-12-01

    The largest glacier changes are primarily observed in settings where ice flows into a proglacial water body. However, the responses to this interaction are not uniform. Rapidly retreating glaciers can occur in close vicinity to advancing ones. Calving styles and glacier morphologies vary greatly as well. Temperate lake-calving glaciers frequently exhibit floating tongues; but this is rarely observed on temperate tidewater glaciers. Calving styles range from mostly sub-aerial calving to full-thickness calving to slow detachment of large ice bergs. In addition to the more obvious mechanical calving, glaciers lose mass at their termini through sub-aqueous melting. Melt rates of submerged ice have been shown to vary over several orders of magnitudes, and can range up to several meters per day. This large range is a consequence of different proglacial water temperatures, and of different modes of water transport. Water convection in proglacial water bodies can be driven by winds and tides, but subglacial water discharge is commonly the strongest and most variable driver. Here we attempt to relate the variability of forcings and melt rates to the various morphologies and calving styles of different water-terminating glaciers. The highest melt rates are observed at low-latitude tidewater glaciers, where ocean water can be warm (7 - 10 deg C) and subglacial discharge high. In such settings, sub-aqueous melt can reach the same magnitude as ice flux delivered to the terminus and it can control ice terminus position. Polar tidewater glaciers, such as those in Greenland, often exhibit floating tongues. Although melt rates are likely much lower, they can have a large effect under a floating tongue because of the much larger exposure of ice to water. Changes in melt rates can therefore affect the stability of such floating tongues. Low melt rates occur at some ice shelves at high latitudes, where the temperature and freshwater forcings are small. This situation can also occur at

  12. The Backscatter Cloudprobe with Polarization Detection: A New Aircraft Ice Water Detector

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Freer, M.; Baumgardner, D.; Axisa, D.

    2017-12-01

    The differentiation of liquid water and ice crystals smaller than 100 um in mixed phase clouds continues to challenge the cloud measurement community. In situ imaging probes now have pixel resolution down to about 5 um, but at least 10 pixels are needed to accurately distinguish a water droplet from an ice crystal. This presents a major obstacle for the understanding of cloud glaciation in general, and the formation and evolution of cloud ice in particular. A new sensor has recently been developed that can detect and quantify supercooled liquid droplets and ice crystals. The Backscatter Cloudprobe with Polarization Detection (BCPD) is a very lightweight, compact and low power optical spectrometer that has already undergone laboratory, wind tunnel and flight tests that have validated its capabilities. The BCPD employs the optical approach with single particles that has been used for years in remote sensing to distinguish liquid water from ice crystals in ensembles of cloud particles. The sensor is mounted inside an aircraft and projects a linearly polarized laser beam to the outside through a heated window. Particles that pass through the sample volume of the laser scatter light and the photons scattered in the back direction pass through another heated window where they are collected and focused onto a beam splitter that directs them onto two photodetectors. The P-detector senses the light with polarization parallel to that of the incident light and the S-Detector measures the light that is perpendicular to that of the laser. The polarization ratio, S/P, is sensitive to the asphericity of a particle and is used to identify liquid water and ice crystals. The BCPD has now been exercised in an icing wind tunnel where it was compared with other cloud spectrometers. It has also been flown on the NCAR C-130 and on a commercial Citation, making measurements in all water, all ice and mixed phase clouds. Results from these three applications clearly show that the BCPD can

  13. Global view of sea-ice production in polynyas and its linkage to dense/bottom water formation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ohshima, Kay I.; Nihashi, Sohey; Iwamoto, Katsushi

    2016-12-01

    Global overturning circulation is driven by density differences. Saline water rejected during sea-ice formation in polynyas is the main source of dense water, and thus sea-ice production is a key factor in the overturning circulation. Due to difficulties associated with in situ observation, sea-ice production and its interannual variability have not been well understood until recently. Methods to estimate sea-ice production on large scales have been developed using heat flux calculations based on satellite microwave radiometer data. Using these methods, we present the mapping of sea-ice production with the same definition and scale globally, and review the polynya ice production and its relationship with dense/bottom water. The mapping demonstrates that ice production rate is high in Antarctic coastal polynyas, in contrast to Arctic coastal polynyas. This is consistent with the formation of Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW), the densest water mass which occupies the abyssal layer of the global ocean. The Ross Ice Shelf polynya has by far the highest ice production in the Southern Hemisphere. The Cape Darnley polynya (65°E-69°E) is found to be the second highest production area and recent observations revealed that this is the missing (fourth) source of AABW. In the region off the Mertz Glacier Tongue (MGT), the third source of AABW, sea-ice production decreased by as much as 40 %, due to the MGT calving in early 2010, resulting in a significant decrease in AABW production. The Okhotsk Northwestern polynya exhibits the highest ice production in the Northern Hemisphere, and the resultant dense water formation leads to overturning in the North Pacific, extending to the intermediate layer. Estimates of its ice production show a significant decrease over the past 30-50 years, likely causing the weakening of the North Pacific overturning. These regions demonstrate the strong linkage between variabilities of sea-ice production and bottom/intermediate water formation. The

  14. Observational Evidence of a Hemispheric-wide Ice-ocean Albedo Feedback Effect on Antarctic Sea-ice Decay

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Nihashi, Sohey; Cavalieri, Donald J.

    2007-01-01

    The effect of ice-ocean albedo feedback (a kind of ice-albedo feedback) on sea-ice decay is demonstrated over the Antarctic sea-ice zone from an analysis of satellite-derived hemispheric sea ice concentration and European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ERA-40) atmospheric data for the period 1979-2001. Sea ice concentration in December (time of most active melt) correlates better with the meridional component of the wind-forced ice drift (MID) in November (beginning of the melt season) than the MID in December. This 1 month lagged correlation is observed in most of the Antarctic sea-ice covered ocean. Daily time series of ice , concentration show that the ice concentration anomaly increases toward the time of maximum sea-ice melt. These findings can be explained by the following positive feedback effect: once ice concentration decreases (increases) at the beginning of the melt season, solar heating of the upper ocean through the increased (decreased) open water fraction is enhanced (reduced), leading to (suppressing) a further decrease in ice concentration by the oceanic heat. Results obtained fi-om a simple ice-ocean coupled model also support our interpretation of the observational results. This positive feedback mechanism explains in part the large interannual variability of the sea-ice cover in summer.

  15. The decisive role of free water in determining homogenous ice nucleation behavior of aqueous solutions

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Qiang; Zhao, Lishan; Li, Chenxi; Cao, Zexian

    2016-01-01

    It is a challenging issue to quantitatively characterize how the solute and pressure affect the homogeneous ice nucleation in a supercooled solution. By measuring the glass transition behavior of solutions, a universal feature of water-content dependence of glass transition temperature is recognized, which can be used to quantify hydration water in solutions. The amount of free water can then be determined for water-rich solutions, whose mass fraction, Xf, is found to serve as a universal relevant parameter for characterizing the homogeneous ice nucleation temperature, the meting temperature of primary ice, and even the water activity of solutions of electrolytes and smaller organic molecules. Moreover, the effects of hydrated solute and pressure on ice nucleation is comparable, and the pressure, when properly scaled, can be incorporated into the universal parameter Xf. These results help establish the decisive role of free water in determining ice nucleation and other relevant properties of aqueous solutions. PMID:27225427

  16. Laser-induced plasma cloud interaction and ice multiplication under cirrus cloud conditions

    PubMed Central

    Leisner, Thomas; Duft, Denis; Möhler, Ottmar; Saathoff, Harald; Schnaiter, Martin; Henin, Stefano; Stelmaszczyk, Kamil; Petrarca, Massimo; Delagrange, Raphaëlle; Hao, Zuoqiang; Lüder, Johannes; Petit, Yannick; Rohwetter, Philipp; Kasparian, Jérôme; Wolf, Jean-Pierre; Wöste, Ludger

    2013-01-01

    Potential impacts of lightning-induced plasma on cloud ice formation and precipitation have been a subject of debate for decades. Here, we report on the interaction of laser-generated plasma channels with water and ice clouds observed in a large cloud simulation chamber. Under the conditions of a typical storm cloud, in which ice and supercooled water coexist, no direct influence of the plasma channels on ice formation or precipitation processes could be detected. Under conditions typical for thin cirrus ice clouds, however, the plasma channels induced a surprisingly strong effect of ice multiplication. Within a few minutes, the laser action led to a strong enhancement of the total ice particle number density in the chamber by up to a factor of 100, even though only a 10−9 fraction of the chamber volume was exposed to the plasma channels. The newly formed ice particles quickly reduced the water vapor pressure to ice saturation, thereby increasing the cloud optical thickness by up to three orders of magnitude. A model relying on the complete vaporization of ice particles in the laser filament and the condensation of the resulting water vapor on plasma ions reproduces our experimental findings. This surprising effect might open new perspectives for remote sensing of water vapor and ice in the upper troposphere. PMID:23733936

  17. Laboratory Investigation of Direct Measurement of Ice Water Content, Ice Surface Area, and Effective Radius of Ice Crystals Using a Laser-Diffraction Instrument

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gerber, H.; DeMott, P. J.; Rogers, D. C.

    1995-01-01

    The aircraft microphysics probe, PVM-100A, was tested in the Colorado State University dynamic cloud chamber to establish its ability to measure ice water content (IWC), PSA, and Re in ice clouds. Its response was compared to other means of measuring those ice-cloud parameters that included using FSSP-100 and 230-X 1-D optical probes for ice-crystal concentrations, a film-loop microscope for ice-crystal habits and dimensions, and an in-situ microscope for determining ice-crystal orientation. Intercomparisons were made in ice clouds containing ice crystals ranging in size from about 10 microns to 150 microns diameter, and ice crystals with plate, columnar, dendritic, and spherical shapes. It was not possible to determine conclusively that the PVM accurately measures IWC, PSA, and Re of ice crystals, because heat from the PVM evaporated in part the crystals in its vicinity in the chamber thus affecting its measurements. Similarities in the operating principle of the FSSP and PVM, and a comparison between Re measured by both instruments, suggest, however, that the PVM can make those measurements. The resolution limit of the PVM for IWC measurements was found to be on the order of 0.001 g/cubic m. Algorithms for correcting IWC measured by FSSP and PVM were developed.

  18. Study on bouncing motion of a water drop collision on superhydrophobic surface under icing conditions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Maeda, Tetsuro; Morita, Katsuaki; Kimura, Shigeo

    2017-11-01

    When micro droplets in the air are supercooled and collide with the object, they froze on the surface at the time of a collision and can be defined as icing. If supercooled water droplets collide with an airfoil of an aircraft in flight and shape changes, there is a danger of losing lift and falling. Recently, the ice protection system using a heater and Anti- / Deicing (superhydrophobic) coating is focused. In this system, colliding water droplets are melted by the heat of the heater at the tip of the blade, and the water droplet is bounced by the aerodynamic force on the rear superhydrophobic coating. Thus, it prevents the phenomenon of icing again at the back of the wing (runback ice). Therefore, it is possible to suppress power consumption of the electric heater. In that system, it is important to withdraw water droplets at an extremely superhydrophobic surface at an early stage. However, research on bouncing phenomenon on superhydrophobic surface under icing conditions are not done much now. Therefore, in our research, we focus on one drop supercooled water droplet that collides with the superhydrophobic surface in the icing phenomenon, and aim to follow that phenomenon. In this report, the contact time is defined as the time from collision of a water droplet to bouncing from the superhydrophobic surface, and various parameters (temperature, speed, and diameter) on water droplets under icing conditions are set as the water drop bouncing time (contact time) of the product.

  19. Onset of ice VII phase during ps laser pulse propagation through liquid water

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kumar, V. Rakesh; Kiran, P. Prem

    2017-01-01

    Water dominantly present in liquid state on earth gets transformed to crystalline polymorphs under different dynamic loading conditions. Out of different crystalline phases discovered till date, ice VII is observed to be stable over wide pressure (2-63 GPa) and temperature (>273 K) ranges. The formation of ice VII crystalline structure has been vastly reported during high pressure static compression using diamond anvil cell and propagation of high energy (>50 mJ/pulse) nanosecond laser pulse induced dynamic high pressures through liquid water. We present the onset of ice VII phase at low threshold of 2 mJ/pulse during 30 ps (532 nm, 10 Hz) laser pulse induced shock propagating through liquid water. Role of input pulse energy on the evolution of Stoke's and anti-Stoke's Raman shift of the dominant A1g mode of ice VII, filamentation, free-electrons, plasma shielding is presented. The H-bond network rearrangement, electron ion energy transfer time coinciding with the excitation pulse duration supported by the filamentation and plasma shielding of the ps laser pulses reduced the threshold of ice VII structure formation. Filamentation and the plasma shielding have shown the localized creation and sustenance of ice VII structure in liquid water over 3 mm length and 50 μm area of cross-section.

  20. Do Europa's Mountains Have Roots? Modeling Flow Along the Ice-Water Interface

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cutler, B. B.; Goodman, J. C.

    2016-12-01

    Are topographic features on the surface of Europa and other icy worlds isostatically compensated by variations in shell thickness (Airy isostasy)? This is only possible if variations in shell thickness can remain stable over geologic time. In this work we demonstrate that local shell thickness perturbations will relax due to viscous flow in centuries. We present a model of Europa's ice crust which includes thermal conduction, viscous flow of ice, and a mobile ice/water interface: the topography along the ice-water interface varies in response to melting, freezing, and ice flow. Temperature-dependent viscosity, conductivity, and density lead to glacier-like flow along the base of the ice shell, as well as solid-state convection in its interior. We considered both small scale processes, such as an isostatically-compensated ridge or lenticula, or heat flux from a hydrothermal plume; and a larger model focusing on melting and flow on the global scale. Our local model shows that ice-basal topographic features 5 kilometers deep and 4 kilometers wide can be filled in by glacial flow in about 200 years; even very large cavities can be infilled in 1000 years. "Hills" (locally thick areas) are removed faster than "holes". If a strong local heat flux (10x global average) is applied to the base of the ice, local melting will be prevented by rapid inflow of ice from nearby. On the large scale, global ice flow from the thick cool pole to the warmer and thinner equator removes global-scale topography in about 1 Ma; melting and freezing from this process may lead to a coupled feedback with the ocean flow. We find that glacial flow at the base of the ice shell is so rapid that Europa's ice-water interface is likely to be very flat. Local surface topography probably cannot be isostatically compensated by thickness variations: Europa's mountains may have no roots.

  1. SEA-ICE INFLUENCE ON ARCTIC COASTAL RETREAT.

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Reimnitz, Erk; Barnes, P.W.

    1987-01-01

    Recent studies document the effectiveness of sea ice in reshaping the seafloor of the inner shelf into sharp-relief features, including ice gouges with jagged flanking ridges, ice-wallow relief, and 2- to 6-m-deep strudel-scour craters. These ice-related relief forms are in disequilibrium with classic open-water hydraulic processes and thus are smoothed over by waves and currents in one to two years. Such alternate reworking of the shelf by ice and currents - two diverse types of processes, which in the case of ice wallow act in unison-contributes to sediment mobility and, thus, to sediment loss from the coast and inner shelf. The bulldozing action by ice results in coast-parallel sediment displacement. Additionally, suspension of sediment by frazil and anchor ice, followed by ice rafting, can move large amounts of bottom-derived materials. Our understanding of all these processes is insufficient to model Arctic coastal processes.

  2. Sea ice dynamics across the Mid-Pleistocene transition in the Bering Sea.

    PubMed

    Detlef, H; Belt, S T; Sosdian, S M; Smik, L; Lear, C H; Hall, I R; Cabedo-Sanz, P; Husum, K; Kender, S

    2018-03-05

    Sea ice and associated feedback mechanisms play an important role for both long- and short-term climate change. Our ability to predict future sea ice extent, however, hinges on a greater understanding of past sea ice dynamics. Here we investigate sea ice changes in the eastern Bering Sea prior to, across, and after the Mid-Pleistocene transition (MPT). The sea ice record, based on the Arctic sea ice biomarker IP 25 and related open water proxies from the International Ocean Discovery Program Site U1343, shows a substantial increase in sea ice extent across the MPT. The occurrence of late-glacial/deglacial sea ice maxima are consistent with sea ice/land ice hysteresis and land-glacier retreat via the temperature-precipitation feedback. We also identify interactions of sea ice with phytoplankton growth and ocean circulation patterns, which have important implications for glacial North Pacific Intermediate Water formation and potentially North Pacific abyssal carbon storage.

  3. The Role of Late Summer Melt Pond Water Layers in the Ocean Mixed Layer on Enhancing Ice/Ocean Albedo Feedbacks in the Arctic

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stanton, T. P.; Shaw, W. J.

    2016-02-01

    Drainage of surface melt pond water into the top of the ocean mixed layer is seen widely in the Arctic ice pack in later summer (for example Gallaher et al 2015). Under calm conditions, this fresh water forms a thin, stratified layer immediately below the ice which is dynamically decoupled from the thicker, underlying seasonal mixed layer by the density difference between the two layers. The ephemeral surface layer is significantly warmer than the underlying ocean water owing to the higher freezing temperature of the fresh melt water. How the presence of this warm ephemeral layer enhances basal melt rate and speeds the destruction of the floes is investigated. High resolution timeseries measurements of T/S profiles in the 2m of the ocean immediately below the ice, and eddy-correlation fluxes of heat, salt and momentum 2.5m below the ice were made from an Autonomous Ocean Flux Buoy over a 2 month interval in later summer of 2015 as a component of the ONR Marginal Ice Zone project. The stratification and turbulent forcing observations are used with a 1 D turbulence closure model to understand how momentum and incoming radiative energy are stored and redistributed within the ephemeral layer. Under low wind forcing conditions both turbulent mixing energy and the water with high departure from freezing are trapped in the ephemeral layer by the strong density gradient at the base of the layer, resulting in rapid basal melting. This case is contrasted with model runs where the ephemeral layer heat is allowed to mix across the seasonal mixed layer, which results in slower basal melt rates. Consequently, the salinity-trapped warm ephemeral layer results in the formation of more open water earlier in the summer season, in turn resulting in increased cumulative heating of the ocean mixed layer, enhancing ice/ocean albedo feedbacks.

  4. Water ice clouds observations with PFS on Mars Express

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Moroz, V. I.; Zasova, L. V.; Formisano, V.; Grassi, D.; Ignatiev, N. I.; Giuranna, M.; Maturilli, A.; Pfs Team

    The water ice cloud observation is one of the scientific goals of PFS. Presence and properties of the ice particles are identified from absorption features, observed in both spectral ranges of PFS. Being in the near perihelion condition, the temperature of the Martian atmosphere is pretty high and ice clouds exist only in some places, for example, related to topography or at north high latitudes et etc. The ice clouds are observed often above the tops of the volcanoes. We have found the ice clouds above Olympus (orbit 37) and Ascraeus Mons (orbit 68). Effective radius of particles according to the thermal IR is preliminary estimated of 1 μ m, which leads to the visual opacity of 0.2 -0.3 above Olympus and of maximum of 0.6 above Ascraeus Mons. In the case of Ascraeus Mons the ice clouds are observed on the south slope near the top of the volcano. The maximum surface temperature, observed there, results in the upward flux of warm air, which, cooling, provides the condensation of H2O. We will present a detailed analysis of the ice clouds, observed over the planet in the IR spectral range.

  5. Liquid water content and droplet size calibration of the NASA Lewis Icing Research Tunnel

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ide, Robert F.

    1989-01-01

    The icing research tunnel at the NASA Lewis Research Center underwent a major rehabilitation in 1986 to 1987, necessitating recalibration of the icing cloud. The methods used in the recalibration, including the procedure used to establish a uniform icing cloud and the use of a standard icing blade technique for measurement of liquid water content are described. PMS Forward Scattering Spectrometer and Optical Array probes were used for measurement of droplet size. Examples of droplet size distributions are shown for several median volumetric diameters. Finally, the liquid water content/droplet size operating envelopes of the icing tunnel are shown for a range of airspeeds and are compared to the FAA icing certification criteria.

  6. Direct Measurement of Water States in Cryopreserved Cells Reveals Tolerance toward Ice Crystallization

    PubMed Central

    Huebinger, Jan; Han, Hong-Mei; Hofnagel, Oliver; Vetter, Ingrid R.; Bastiaens, Philippe I.H.; Grabenbauer, Markus

    2016-01-01

    Complex living systems such as mammalian cells can be arrested in a solid phase by ultrarapid cooling. This allows for precise observation of cellular structures as well as cryopreservation of cells. The state of water, the main constituent of biological samples, is crucial for the success of cryogenic applications. Water exhibits many different solid states. If it is cooled extremely rapidly, liquid water turns into amorphous ice, also called vitreous water, a glassy and amorphous solid. For cryo-preservation, the vitrification of cells is believed to be mandatory for cell survival after freezing. Intracellular ice crystallization is assumed to be lethal, but experimental data on the state of water during cryopreservation are lacking. To better understand the water conditions in cells subjected to freezing protocols, we chose to directly analyze their subcellular water states by cryo-electron microscopy and tomography, cryoelectron diffraction, and x-ray diffraction both in the cryofixed state and after warming to different temperatures. By correlating the survival rates of cells with their respective water states during cryopreservation, we found that survival is less dependent on ice-crystal formation than expected. Using high-resolution cryo-imaging, we were able to directly show that cells tolerate crystallization of extra- and intracellular water. However, if warming is too slow, many small ice crystals will recrystallize into fewer but bigger crystals, which is lethal. The applied cryoprotective agents determine which crystal size is tolerable. This suggests that cryoprotectants can act by inhibiting crystallization or recrystallization, but they also increase the tolerance toward ice-crystal growth. PMID:26541066

  7. The role of ice dynamics in shaping vegetation in flowing waters.

    PubMed

    Lind, Lovisa; Nilsson, Christer; Polvi, Lina E; Weber, Christine

    2014-11-01

    Ice dynamics is an important factor affecting vegetation in high-altitude and high-latitude streams and rivers. During the last few decades, knowledge about ice in streams and rivers has increased significantly and a respectable body of literature is now available. Here we review the literature on how ice dynamics influence riparian and aquatic vegetation. Traditionally, plant ecologists have focused their studies on the summer period, largely ignoring the fact that processes during winter also impact vegetation dynamics. For example, the freeze-up period in early winter may result in extensive formation of underwater ice that can restructure the channel, obstruct flow, and cause flooding and thus formation of more ice. In midwinter, slow-flowing reaches develop a surface-ice cover that accumulates snow, protecting habitats under the ice from formation of underwater ice but also reducing underwater light, thus suppressing photosynthesis. Towards the end of winter, ice breaks up and moves downstream. During this transport, ice floes can jam up and cause floods and major erosion. The magnitudes of the floods and their erosive power mainly depend on the size of the watercourse, also resulting in different degrees of disturbance to the vegetation. Vegetation responds both physically and physiologically to ice dynamics. Physical action involves the erosive force of moving ice and damage caused by ground frost, whereas physiological effects - mostly cell damage - happen as a result of plants freezing into the ice. On a community level, large magnitudes of ice dynamics seem to favour species richness, but can be detrimental for individual plants. Human impacts, such as flow regulation, channelisation, agriculturalisation and water pollution have modified ice dynamics; further changes are expected as a result of current and predicted future climate change. Human impacts and climate change can both favour and disfavour riverine vegetation dynamics. Restoration of streams

  8. Widespread Refreezing of Both Surface and Basal Melt Water Beneath the Greenland Ice Sheet

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bell, R. E.; Tinto, K. J.; Das, I.; Wolovick, M.; Chu, W.; Creyts, T. T.; Frearson, N.

    2013-12-01

    The isotopically and chemically distinct, bubble-free ice observed along the Greenland Ice Sheet margin both in the Russell Glacier and north of Jacobshavn must have formed when water froze from subglacial networks. Where this refreezing occurs and what impact it has on ice sheet processes remain unclear. We use airborne radar data to demonstrate that freeze-on to the ice sheet base and associated deformation produce large ice units up to 700 m thick throughout northern Greenland. Along the ice sheet margin, in the ablation zone, surface meltwater, delivered via moulins, refreezes to the ice sheet base over rugged topography. In the interior, water melted from the ice sheet base is refrozen and surrounded by folded ice. A significant fraction of the ice sheet is modified by basal freeze-on and associated deformation. For the Eqip and Petermann catchments, representing the ice sheet margin and interior respectively, extensive airborne radar datasets show that 10%-13% of the base of the ice sheet and up to a third of the catchment width is modified by basal freeze-on. The interior units develop over relatively subdued topography with modest water flux from basal melt where conductive cooling likely dominates. Steps in the bed topography associated with subglacial valley networks may foster glaciohydraulic supercooling. The ablation zone units develop where both surface melt and crevassing are widespread and large volumes of surface meltwater will reach the base of the ice sheet. The relatively steep topography at the upslope edge of the ablation zone units combined with the larger water flux suggests that supercooling plays a greater role in their formation. The ice qualities of the ablation zone units should reflect the relatively fresh surface melt whereas the chemistry of the interior units should reflect solute-rich basal melt. Changes in basal conditions such as the presence of till patches may contribute to the formation of the large basal units near the

  9. Measurements of Turbulent Fluxes over Sea Ice Region in the Sea of Okhotsk.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fujisaki, A.; Yamaguchi, H.; Toyota, T.; Futatsudera, A.; Miyanaga, M.

    2007-12-01

    The measurements of turbulent fluxes over sea ice area were done in the southern part of the Sea of Okhotsk, during the cruises of the ice-breaker P/V 'Soya' in 2000-2005. The air-ice drag coefficients CDN were 3.57×10-3 over small floes \\left(diameter:φ=20- 100m\\right), 3.38×10-3 over medium floes \\left(φ=100-500m\\right), and 2.12×10-3 over big floes \\left( φ=500m-2km\\right), which showed a decrease with the increase of floe size. This is because the smaller floes contribue to the roughness of sea-ice area by their edges more than the larger ones. The average CDN values showed a gradual upslope with ice concentration, which is simply due to the rougher surface of sea ice than that of open water, while they showed a slight decline at ice concentration 100%, which is possibly due to the lack of freeboard effect of lateral side of floes. We also compared the relation between the roughness length zM and the friction velocity u* with the model developed in the previous study. The zM-u* relation well corresponded with the model results, while the range of zM we obtained was larger than those obtained at the Ice Station Weddell and during the Surface Heat Budget of the Arctic Ocean project. The sensible heat transfer coefficients CHN were 1.35×10-3 at 80-90% ice concentration, and 0.95×10-3 at 100% ice concentration, which are comparable with the results of the past reaserches. On the other hand, we obtained a maximum CHN value of 2.39×10-3at 20-50% ice concentration, and 2.35×10-3 over open water, which are more than twice as the typical value of 1.0×10-3 over open water. These large CHN values are due to the significant upward sensible heat flux during the measurements.

  10. Measurement of the accumulation of water ice on optical components in cryogenic vacuum environments

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Moeller, Trevor M.; Montgomery Smith, L.; Collins, Frank G.; Labello, Jesse M.; Rogers, James P.; Lowry, Heard S.; Crider, Dustin H.

    2012-11-01

    Standard vacuum practices mitigate the presence of water vapor and contamination inside cryogenic vacuum chambers. However, anomalies can occur in the facility that can cause the accumulation of amorphous water ice on optics and test articles. Under certain conditions, the amorphous ice on optical components shatters, which leads to a reduction in signal or failure of the component. An experiment was performed to study and measure the deposition of water (H2O) ice on optical surfaces under high-vacuum cryogenic conditions. Water was introduced into a cryogenic vacuum chamber, via a hydrated molecular sieve zeolite, through an effusion cell and impinged upon a quartz-crystal microbalance (QCM) and first-surface gold-plated mirror. A laser and photodiode setup, external to the vacuum chamber, monitored the multiple-beam interference reflectance of the ice-mirror configuration while the QCM measured the mass deposition. Data indicates that water ice, under these conditions, accumulates as a thin film on optical surfaces to thicknesses over 45 microns and can be detected and measured by nonintrusive optical methods which are based upon multiple-beam interference phenomena. The QCM validated the interference measurements. This experiment established proof-of-concept for a miniature system for monitoring ice accumulation within the chamber.

  11. Molecular Probe Dynamics Reveals Suppression of Ice-Like Regions in Strongly Confined Supercooled Water

    PubMed Central

    Banerjee, Debamalya; Bhat, Shrivalli N.; Bhat, Subray V.; Leporini, Dino

    2012-01-01

    The structure of the hydrogen bond network is a key element for understanding water's thermodynamic and kinetic anomalies. While ambient water is strongly believed to be a uniform, continuous hydrogen-bonded liquid, there is growing consensus that supercooled water is better described in terms of distinct domains with either a low-density ice-like structure or a high-density disordered one. We evidenced two distinct rotational mobilities of probe molecules in interstitial supercooled water of polycrystalline ice [Banerjee D, et al. (2009) ESR evidence for 2 coexisting liquid phases in deeply supercooled bulk water. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 106: 11448–11453]. Here we show that, by increasing the confinement of interstitial water, the mobility of probe molecules, surprisingly, increases. We argue that loose confinement allows the presence of ice-like regions in supercooled water, whereas a tighter confinement yields the suppression of this ordered fraction and leads to higher fluidity. Compelling evidence of the presence of ice-like regions is provided by the probe orientational entropy barrier which is set, through hydrogen bonding, by the configuration of the surrounding water molecules and yields a direct measure of the configurational entropy of the same. We find that, under loose confinement of supercooled water, the entropy barrier surmounted by the slower probe fraction exceeds that of equilibrium water by the melting entropy of ice, whereas no increase of the barrier is observed under stronger confinement. The lower limit of metastability of supercooled water is discussed. PMID:23049747

  12. Study of energy parameters of machine parts of water-ice jet cleaning applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Prezhbilov, A. N.; Burnashov, M. A.

    2018-03-01

    The reader will achieve a benchmark understanding of the essence of cleaning for the removal of contaminants from machine elements by means of cryo jet/water-ice jet with particles prepared beforehand. This paper represents the classification of the most common contaminants appearing on the surfaces of machine elements after a long-term service. The conceptual contribution of the paper is to represent a thermo-physical model of contaminant removal by means of a water ice jet. In conclusion, it is evident that this study has shown the dependencies between the friction force of an ice particle with an obstacle (contamination), a dimensional change of an ice particle in the cleaning process and the quantity of heat transmitted to an ice particle.

  13. Rapid changes in surface water carbonate chemistry during Antarctic sea ice melt

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jones, Elizabeth M.; Bakker, Dorothee C. E.; Venables, Hugh J.; Whitehouse, Michael J.; Korb, Rebecca E.; Watson, Andrew J.

    2010-11-01

    ABSTRACT The effect of sea ice melt on the carbonate chemistry of surface waters in the Weddell-Scotia Confluence, Southern Ocean, was investigated during January 2008. Contrasting concentrations of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), total alkalinity (TA) and the fugacity of carbon dioxide (fCO2) were observed in and around the receding sea ice edge. The precipitation of carbonate minerals such as ikaite (CaCO3.6H2O) in sea ice brine has the net effect of decreasing DIC and TA and increasing the fCO2 in the brine. Deficits in DIC up to 12 +/- 3 μmol kg-1 in the marginal ice zone (MIZ) were consistent with the release of DIC-poor brines to surface waters during sea ice melt. Biological utilization of carbon was the dominant processes and accounted for 41 +/- 1 μmol kg-1 of the summer DIC deficit. The data suggest that the combined effects of biological carbon uptake and the precipitation of carbonates created substantial undersaturation in fCO2 of 95 μatm in the MIZ during summer sea ice melt. Further work is required to improve the understanding of ikaite chemistry in Antarctic sea ice and its importance for the sea ice carbon pump.

  14. Cold compaction of water ice

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Durham, W.B.; McKinnon, W.B.; Stern, L.A.

    2005-01-01

    Hydrostatic compaction of granulated water ice was measured in laboratory experiments at temperatures 77 K to 120 K. We performed step-wise hydrostatic pressurization tests on 5 samples to maximum pressures P of 150 MPa, using relatively tight (0.18-0.25 mm) and broad (0.25-2.0 mm) starting grain-size distributions. Compaction change of volume is highly nonlinear in P, typical for brittle, granular materials. No time-dependent creep occurred on the lab time scale. Significant residual porosity (???0.10) remains even at highest P. Examination by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) reveals a random configuration of fractures and broad distribution of grain sizes, again consistent with brittle behavior. Residual porosity appears as smaller, well-supported micropores between ice fragments. Over the interior pressures found in smaller midsize icy satellites and Kuiper Belt objects (KBOs), substantial porosity can be sustained over solar system history in the absence of significant heating and resultant sintering. Copyright 2005 by the American Geophysical Union.

  15. Cloud Response to Arctic Sea Ice Loss and Implications for Feedbacks in the CESM1 Climate Model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Morrison, A.; Kay, J. E.; Chepfer, H.; Guzman, R.; Bonazzola, M.

    2017-12-01

    Clouds have the potential to accelerate or slow the rate of Arctic sea ice loss through their radiative influence on the surface. Cloud feedbacks can therefore play into Arctic warming as clouds respond to changes in sea ice cover. As the Arctic moves toward an ice-free state, understanding how cloud - sea ice relationships change in response to sea ice loss is critical for predicting the future climate trajectory. From satellite observations we know the effect of present-day sea ice cover on clouds, but how will clouds respond to sea ice loss as the Arctic transitions to a seasonally open water state? In this study we use a lidar simulator to first evaluate cloud - sea ice relationships in the Community Earth System Model (CESM1) against present-day observations (2006-2015). In the current climate, the cloud response to sea ice is well-represented in CESM1: we see no summer cloud response to changes in sea ice cover, but more fall clouds over open water than over sea ice. Since CESM1 is credible for the current Arctic climate, we next assess if our process-based understanding of Arctic cloud feedbacks related to sea ice loss is relevant for understanding future Arctic clouds. In the future Arctic, summer cloud structure continues to be insensitive to surface conditions. As the Arctic warms in the fall, however, the boundary layer deepens and cloud fraction increases over open ocean during each consecutive decade from 2020 - 2100. This study will also explore seasonal changes in cloud properties such as opacity and liquid water path. Results thus far suggest that a positive fall cloud - sea ice feedback exists in the present-day and future Arctic climate.

  16. Newly Formed Sea Ice in Arctic Leads Monitored by C- and L-Band SAR

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Johansson, A. Malin; Brekke, Camilla; Spreen, Gunnar; King, Jennifer A.; Gerland, Sebastian

    2016-08-01

    We investigate the scattering entropy and co-polarization ratio for Arctic lead ice using C- and L-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite scenes. During the Norwegian Young sea ICE (N-ICE2015) cruise campaign overlapping SAR scenes, helicopter borne sea ice thickness measurements and photographs were collected. We can therefore relate the SAR signal to sea ice thickness measurements as well as photographs taken of the sea ice. We show that a combination of scattering and co-polarization ratio values can be used to distinguish young ice from open water and surrounding sea ice.

  17. Trade Openness and Domestic Water Use

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dang, Qian; Konar, Megan

    2018-01-01

    We contribute to the debate over globalization and the environment by asking, what is the impact of trade on national water use? To address this question, we employ econometric methods to quantify the causal relationship between trade openness and water use. Specifically, we use the instrumental variables methodology to evaluate the impact of trade openness on domestic water withdrawals in agriculture and industry. We find that trade openness does not have a significant impact on total or industrial water withdrawals. However, we show that one percentage point increase in trade openness leads to a 5.21% decrease in agricultural water withdrawals. We find that trade openness reduces water use in agriculture primarily through the intensive margin effect, by leading farmers to produce more with less water, such as through the adoption of technology. We do not find evidence for extensive margin or crop mix impacts on agricultural water withdrawals. Significantly, these results demonstrate that trade openness leads to less water use in agriculture. This finding has broad scientific and policy relevance as we endeavor to untangle causal relationships in the complex global food system and develop policies to achieve water and food security.

  18. Incorporation of New Convective Ice Microphysics into the NASA GISS GCM and Impacts on Cloud Ice Water Path (IWP) Simulation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Elsaesser, Greg; Del Genio, Anthony

    2015-01-01

    The CMIP5 configurations of the GISS Model-E2 GCM simulated a mid- and high latitude ice IWP that decreased by 50 relative to that simulated for CMIP3 (Jiang et al. 2012; JGR). Tropical IWP increased by 15 in CMIP5. While the tropical IWP was still within the published upper-bounds of IWP uncertainty derived using NASA A-Train satellite observations, it was found that the upper troposphere (200 mb) ice water content (IWC) exceeded the published upper-bound by a factor of 2. This was largely driven by IWC in deep-convecting regions of the tropics.Recent advances in the model-E2 convective parameterization have been found to have a substantial impact on tropical IWC. These advances include the development of both a cold pool parameterization (Del Genio et al. 2015) and new convective ice parameterization. In this presentation, we focus on the new parameterization of convective cloud ice that was developed using data from the NASA TC4 Mission. Ice particle terminal velocity formulations now include information from a number of NASA field campaigns. The new parameterization predicts both an ice water mass weighted-average particle diameter and a particle cross sectional area weighted-average size diameter as a function of temperature and ice water content. By assuming a gamma-distribution functional form for the particle size distribution, these two diameter estimates are all that are needed to explicitly predict the distribution of ice particles as a function of particle diameter.GCM simulations with the improved convective parameterization yield a 50 decrease in upper tropospheric IWC, bringing the tropical and global mean IWP climatologies into even closer agreement with the A-Train satellite observation best estimates.

  19. Incorporation of New Convective Ice Microphysics into the NASA GISS GCM and Impacts on Cloud Ice Water Path (IWP) Simulation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Elsaesser, G.; Del Genio, A. D.

    2015-12-01

    The CMIP5 configurations of the GISS Model-E2 GCM simulated a mid- and high-latitude ice IWP that decreased by ~50% relative to that simulated for CMIP3 (Jiang et al. 2012; JGR). Tropical IWP increased by ~15% in CMIP5. While the tropical IWP was still within the published upper-bounds of IWP uncertainty derived using NASA A-Train satellite observations, it was found that the upper troposphere (~200 mb) ice water content (IWC) exceeded the published upper-bound by a factor of ~2. This was largely driven by IWC in deep-convecting regions of the tropics. Recent advances in the model-E2 convective parameterization have been found to have a substantial impact on tropical IWC. These advances include the development of both a cold pool parameterization (Del Genio et al. 2015) and new convective ice parameterization. In this presentation, we focus on the new parameterization of convective cloud ice that was developed using data from the NASA TC4 Mission. Ice particle terminal velocity formulations now include information from a number of NASA field campaigns. The new parameterization predicts both an ice water mass weighted-average particle diameter and a particle cross sectional area weighted-average size diameter as a function of temperature and ice water content. By assuming a gamma-distribution functional form for the particle size distribution, these two diameter estimates are all that are needed to explicitly predict the distribution of ice particles as a function of particle diameter. GCM simulations with the improved convective parameterization yield a ~50% decrease in upper tropospheric IWC, bringing the tropical and global mean IWP climatologies into even closer agreement with the A-Train satellite observation best estimates.

  20. Development of a novel ice-resistant semisubmersible drilling unit

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Corona, E.N.; Schloerb, D.W.; Yashima, N.

    1983-05-01

    A multiyear program was initiated by ARCO Alaska, Inc. to assess the operational feasibility of drilling operations year-round in the ice-covered waters of the Bering, Chukchi, and Beaufort Seas. ARCO Alaska, Inc. is considering several alternative concepts for year-round drilling in the Bering Sea. One such concept, the Ice-Resistant Semisubmersible Drilling Unit, is a design concept of Mitsui Engineering and Shipbuilding Company. The design is intended to operate in broken, continuous, and ridged sea ice, and withstand severe open water sea conditions. The requirement to operate in two dissimilar environments results in a unit that is somewhat unusual when comparedmore » to typical semisubmersible drilling units.« less

  1. Ion Irradiation of H2-Laden Porous Water-ice Films: Implications for Interstellar Ices

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Raut, U.; Mitchell, E. H.; Baragiola, R. A.

    2015-10-01

    To understand the effects of cosmic-ray (CR) impacts on interstellar icy grains immersed in H2 gas, we have irradiated porous water-ice films loaded with H2 with 100 keV H+. The ice films were exposed to H2 gas at different pressures following deposition and during irradiation. A net H2 loss is observed during irradiation due to competition between ion-induced sputtering and gas adsorption. The initial H2 loss cross-section, 4(1) × 10-14 cm2, was independent of film thickness, H2, and proton fluxes. In addition to sputtering, irradiation also closes nanopores, trapping H2 in the film with binding that exceeds physical absorption energies. As a result, 2%-7% H2 is retained in the ice following irradiation to high fluences. We find that the trapped H2 concentration increases with decreasing Φ, the ratio of ion to H2 fluxes, suggesting that as high as 8% solid H2 can be trapped in interstellar ice by CR or stellar wind impacts.

  2. Thermal desorption of formamide and methylamine from graphite and amorphous water ice surfaces

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chaabouni, H.; Diana, S.; Nguyen, T.; Dulieu, F.

    2018-04-01

    Context. Formamide (NH2CHO) and methylamine (CH3NH2) are known to be the most abundant amine-containing molecules in many astrophysical environments. The presence of these molecules in the gas phase may result from thermal desorption of interstellar ices. Aims: The aim of this work is to determine the values of the desorption energies of formamide and methylamine from analogues of interstellar dust grain surfaces and to understand their interaction with water ice. Methods: Temperature programmed desorption (TPD) experiments of formamide and methylamine ices were performed in the sub-monolayer and monolayer regimes on graphite (HOPG) and non-porous amorphous solid water (np-ASW) ice surfaces at temperatures 40-240 K. The desorption energy distributions of these two molecules were calculated from TPD measurements using a set of independent Polanyi-Wigner equations. Results: The maximum of the desorption of formamide from both graphite and ASW ice surfaces occurs at 176 K after the desorption of H2O molecules, whereas the desorption profile of methylamine depends strongly on the substrate. Solid methylamine starts to desorb below 100 K from the graphite surface. Its desorption from the water ice surface occurs after 120 K and stops during the water ice sublimation around 150 K. It continues to desorb from the graphite surface at temperatures higher than160 K. Conclusions: More than 95% of solid NH2CHO diffuses through the np-ASW ice surface towards the graphitic substrate and is released into the gas phase with a desorption energy distribution Edes = 7460-9380 K, which is measured with the best-fit pre-exponential factor A = 1018 s-1. However, the desorption energy distribution of methylamine from the np-ASW ice surface (Edes = 3850-8420 K) is measured with the best-fit pre-exponential factor A = 1012 s-1. A fraction of solid methylamine monolayer of roughly 0.15 diffuses through the water ice surface towards the HOPG substrate. This small amount of methylamine

  3. EPR Evidence of Liquid Water in Ice: An Intrinsic Property of Water or a Self-Confinement Effect?

    PubMed

    Thangswamy, Muthulakshmi; Maheshwari, Priya; Dutta, Dhanadeep; Rane, Vinayak; Pujari, Pradeep K

    2018-06-01

    Liquid water (LW) existence in pure ice below 273 K has been a controversial aspect primarily because of the lack of experimental evidence. Recently, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) has been used to study deeply supercooled water in a rapidly frozen polycrystalline ice. The same technique can also be used to probe the presence of LW in polycrystalline ice that has formed through a more conventional, slow cooling one. In this context, the present study aims to emphasize that in case of an external probe involving techniques such as EPR, the results are influenced by the binary phase (BP) diagram of the probe-water system, which also predicts the existence of LW domains in ice, up to the eutectic point. Here we report the results of our such EPR spin-probe studies on water, which demonstrate that smaller the concentration of the probe stronger is the EPR evidence of liquid domains in polycrystalline ice. We used computer simulations based on stochastic Liouville theory to analyze the lineshapes of the EPR spectra. We show that the presence of the spin probe modifies the BP diagram of water, at very low concentrations of the spin probe. The spin probe thus acts, not like a passive reporter of the behavior of the solvent and its environment, but as an active impurity to influence the solvent. We show that there exists a lower critical concentration, below which BP diagram needs to be modified, by incorporating the effect of confinement of the spin probe. With this approach, we demonstrate that the observed EPR evidence of LW domains in ice can be accounted for by the modified BP diagram of the probe-water system. The present work highlights the importance of taking cognizance of the possibility of spin probes affecting the host systems, when interpreting the EPR (or any other probe based spectroscopic) results of phase transitions of host, as its ignorance may lead to serious misinterpretations.

  4. Creep of water ices at planetary conditions: A compilation

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Durham, W.B.; Kirby, S.H.; Stern, L.A.

    1997-01-01

    Many constitutive laws for the flow of ice have been published since the advent of the Voyager explorations of the outer solar system. Conflicting data have occasionally come from different laboratories, and refinement of experimental techniques has led to the publication of laws that supersede earlier ones. In addition, there are unpublished data from ongoing research that also amend the constitutive laws. Here we compile the most current laboratory-derived flow laws for water ice phases I, II, III, V, and VI, and ice I mixtures with hard particulates. The rheology of interest is mainly that of steady state, and the conditions reviewed are the pressures and temperatures applicable to the surfaces and interiors of icy moons of the outer solar system. Advances in grain-size-dependent creep in ices I and II as well as in phase transformations and metastability under differential stress are also included in this compilation. At laboratory strain rates the several ice polymorphs are rheologically distinct in terms of their stress, temperature, and pressure dependencies but, with the exception of ice III, have fairly similar strengths. Hard particulates strengthen ice I significantly only at high particulate volume fractions. Ice III has the potential for significantly affecting mantle dynamics because it is much weaker than the other polymorphs and its region of stability, which may extend metastably well into what is nominally the ice II field, is located near likely geotherms of large icy moons. Copyright 1997 by the American Geophysical Union.

  5. Lessons: Science: "Sinkholes." Students Observe What Happens When Ice-Cold Water Mingles with Warm Water.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    VanCleave, Janice

    2000-01-01

    This intermediate-level science activity has students observe the effect of ice-cold water mingling with warm water. Water's behavior and movement alters with shifts in temperature. Students must try to determine how temperature affects the movement of water. Necessary materials include a pencil, cup, glass jar, masking tape, warm water, ice…

  6. Eddy-resolving simulations of the Fimbul Ice Shelf cavity circulation: Basal melting and exchange with open ocean

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hattermann, T.; Smedsrud, L. H.; Nøst, O. A.; Lilly, J. M.; Galton-Fenzi, B. K.

    2014-10-01

    Melting at the base of floating ice shelves is a dominant term in the overall Antarctic mass budget. This study applies a high-resolution regional ice shelf/ocean model, constrained by observations, to (i) quantify present basal mass loss at the Fimbul Ice Shelf (FIS); and (ii) investigate the oceanic mechanisms that govern the heat supply to ice shelves in the Eastern Weddell Sea. The simulations confirm the low melt rates suggested by observations and show that melting is primarily determined by the depth of the coastal thermocline, regulating deep ocean heat fluxes towards the ice. Furthermore, the uneven distribution of ice shelf area at different depths modulates the melting response to oceanic forcing, causing the existence of two distinct states of melting at the FIS. In the simulated present-day state, only small amounts of Modified Warm Deep Water enter the continental shelf, and ocean temperatures beneath the ice are close to the surface freezing point. The basal mass loss in this so-called state of "shallow melting" is mainly controlled by the seasonal inflow of solar-heated surface water affecting large areas of shallow ice in the upper part of the cavity. This is in contrast to a state of "deep melting", in which the thermocline rises above the shelf break depth, establishing a continuous inflow of Warm Deep Water towards the deep ice. The transition between the two states is found to be determined by a complex response of the Antarctic Slope Front overturning circulation to varying climate forcings. A proper representation of these frontal dynamics in climate models will therefore be crucial when assessing the evolution of ice shelf basal melting along this sector of Antarctica.

  7. HOT WATER DRILL FOR TEMPERATE ICE.

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Taylor, Philip L.

    1984-01-01

    The development of a high-pressure hot-water drill is described, which has been used reliably in temperate ice to depths of 400 meters with an average drill rate of about 1. 5 meters per minute. One arrangement of the equipment weighs about 500 kilograms, and can be contained on two sleds, each about 3 meters long. Simplified performance equations are given, and experiments with nozzle design suggest a characteristic number describing the efficiency of each design, and a minimum bore-hole diameter very close to 6 centimeters for a hot water drill. Also discussed is field experience with cold weather, water supply, and contact with englacial cavities and the glacier bed.

  8. Modeling of Antarctic Sea Ice in a General Circulation Model.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wu, Xingren; Simmonds, Ian; Budd, W. F.

    1997-04-01

    A dynamic-thermodynamic sea ice model is developed and coupled with the Melbourne University general circulation model to simulate the seasonal cycle of the Antarctic sea ice distribution. The model is efficient, rapid to compute, and useful for a range of climate studies. The thermodynamic part of the sea ice model is similar to that developed by Parkinson and Washington, the dynamics contain a simplified ice rheology that resists compression. The thermodynamics is based on energy conservation at the top surface of the ice/snow, the ice/water interface, and the open water area to determine the ice formation, accretion, and ablation. A lead parameterization is introduced with an effective partitioning scheme for freezing between and under the ice floes. The dynamic calculation determines the motion of ice, which is forced with the atmospheric wind, taking account of ice resistance and rafting. The simulated sea ice distribution compares reasonably well with observations. The seasonal cycle of ice extent is well simulated in phase as well as in magnitude. Simulated sea ice thickness and concentration are also in good agreement with observations over most regions and serve to indicate the importance of advection and ocean drift in the determination of the sea ice distribution.

  9. Modeling of Antarctic sea ice in a general circulation model

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Wu, Xingren; Budd, W.F.; Simmonds, I.

    1997-04-01

    A dynamic-thermodynamic sea ice model is developed and coupled with the Melbourne University general circulation model to simulate the seasonal cycle of the Antarctic sea ice distributions The model is efficient, rapid to compute, and useful for a range of climate studies. The thermodynamic part of the sea ice model is similar to that developed by Parkinson and Washington, the dynamics contain a simplified ice rheology that resists compression. The thermodynamics is based on energy conservation at the top surface of the ice/snow, the ice/water interface, and the open water area to determine the ice formation, accretion, and ablation. Amore » lead parameterization is introduced with an effective partitioning scheme for freezing between and under the ice floes. The dynamic calculation determines the motion of ice, which is forced with the atmospheric wind, taking account of ice resistance and rafting. The simulated sea ice distribution compares reasonably well with observations. The seasonal cycle of ice extent is well simulated in phase as well as in magnitude. Simulated sea ice thickness and concentration are also in good agreement with observations over most regions and serve to indicate the importance of advection and ocean drift in the determination of the sea ice distribution. 64 refs., 15 figs., 2 tabs.« less

  10. Putting life on ice: bacteria that bind to frozen water

    PubMed Central

    Bernheim, Reut; Guo, Shuaiqi; Davies, Peter L.; Braslavsky, Ido

    2016-01-01

    Ice-binding proteins (IBPs) are typically small, soluble proteins produced by cold-adapted organisms to help them avoid ice damage by either resisting or tolerating freezing. By contrast, the IBP of the Antarctic bacterium Marinomonas primoryensis is an extremely long, 1.5 MDa protein consisting of five different regions. The fourth region, a 34 kDa domain, is the only part that confers ice binding. Bioinformatic studies suggest that this IBP serves as an adhesin that attaches the bacteria to ice to keep it near the top of the water column, where oxygen and nutrients are available. Using temperature-controlled cells and a microfluidic apparatus, we show that M. primoryensis adheres to ice and is only released when melting occurs. Binding is dependent on the mobility of the bacterium and the functionality of the IBP domain. A polyclonal antibody raised against the IBP region blocks bacterial ice adhesion. This concept may be the basis for blocking biofilm formation in other bacteria, including pathogens. Currently, this IBP is the only known example of an adhesin that has evolved to bind ice. PMID:27534698

  11. Seasonal and Interannual Fast-Ice Variability from MODIS Surface-Temperature Anomalies, and its Link to External Forcings in Atka Bay, Antarctica

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Paul, S.; Hoppmann, M.; Willmes, S.; Heinemann, G.

    2016-12-01

    Around Antarctica, sea ice is regularly attached to coastal features. These regions of mostly seasonal fast ice interact with the atmosphere, ocean and coastal ecosystem in a variety of ways. The growth and breakup cycles may depend on different factors, such as water- and air temperatures, wind conditions, tides, ocean swell, the passage of icebergs and the presence of nearby polynyas. However, a detailed understanding about the interaction between these factors and the fast-ice cycle is missing. In order to better understand the linkages between general fast-ice evolution and external forcing factors, we present results from an observational case study performed on the seasonal fast-ice cover of Atka Bay, eastern Weddell Sea. The ice conditions in this region are critical for the supply of the German wintering station Neumayer III. Moreover, the fast ice at Atka Bay hosts a unique ecosystem based on the presence of a sub-ice platelet layer and a large emperor penguin colony. While some qualitative characterizations on the seasonal fast-ice cycle in this region exist, no proper quantification was carried out to date. The backbone of this work is a new algorithm, which yields the first continuous time series of open-water fractions from Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) surface temperatures. The open-water fractions are derived from a range of running multi-day median temperature composites, utilizing the thermal footprint of warm open water and thin ice in contrast to cold pack-ice/ice-shelf areas. This unique, and manually validated dataset allows us to monitor changes in fast-ice extent on a near daily basis, for a period of 14 years (2002-2015). In a second step, we combine these results with iceberg observations, data from the meteorological observatory, and auxiliary satellite data in order to identify the main factors governing fast-ice formation and break-up.

  12. Transient and asymptotic behavior in a regular network model for the ice-albedo feedback under thermal forcing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mueller-Stoffels, M.; Wackerbauer, R.

    2010-12-01

    The Arctic ocean and sea ice form a feedback system which plays an important role in the global climate. Variations of the global ice and snow distribution have a significant effect on the planetary albedo which governs the absorption of shortwave radiation. The complexity of highly parametrized GCMs makes it very difficult to assess single feedback processes in the climate system without the concurrent use of simple models where the physics are understood [1][2][3]. We introduce a complex systems model to investigate thermodynamic feedback processes in an Arctic ice-ocean layer. The ice-ocean layer is represented as a regular network of coupled cells. The state of each cell is determined by its energy content, which also defines the phase of the cell. The energy transport between cells is described with nonlinear and heterogeneous diffusion constants. And the time-evolution of the ice-ocean is driven by shortwave, longwave and lateral oceanic and atmospheric thermal forcing. This model is designed to study the stability of an ice cover under various heat intake scenarios. The network structure of the model allows to easily introduce albedo heterogeneities due to aging ice, wind blown snow cover, and ice movement to explore the time-evolution and pattern formation (melt ponds) processes in the Arctic sea ice. The solely thermodynamic model exhibits two stable states; one in the perennially ice covered domain and one in the perennially open water domain. Their existence is due to the temperature dependence of the longwave radiative budget. Transition between these states can be forced via lateral heat fluxes. During the transition from the ice covered to the open water stable state the ice albedo feedback effects are manifested as an increased warming rate of the ice cover together with enhanced seasonal energy oscillations. In the current model realization seasonal ice cover is present as a transient state only. Furthermore, the model exhibits hysteresis between

  13. How well does wind speed predict air-sea gas transfer in the sea ice zone? A synthesis of radon deficit profiles in the upper water column of the Arctic Ocean

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Loose, B.; Kelly, R. P.; Bigdeli, A.; Williams, W.; Krishfield, R.; Rutgers van der Loeff, M.; Moran, S. B.

    2017-05-01

    We present 34 profiles of radon-deficit from the ice-ocean boundary layer of the Beaufort Sea. Including these 34, there are presently 58 published radon-deficit estimates of air-sea gas transfer velocity (k) in the Arctic Ocean; 52 of these estimates were derived from water covered by 10% sea ice or more. The average value of k collected since 2011 is 4.0 ± 1.2 m d-1. This exceeds the quadratic wind speed prediction of weighted kws = 2.85 m d-1 with mean-weighted wind speed of 6.4 m s-1. We show how ice cover changes the mixed-layer radon budget, and yields an "effective gas transfer velocity." We use these 58 estimates to statistically evaluate the suitability of a wind speed parameterization for k, when the ocean surface is ice covered. Whereas the six profiles taken from the open ocean indicate a statistically good fit to wind speed parameterizations, the same parameterizations could not reproduce k from the sea ice zone. We conclude that techniques for estimating k in the open ocean cannot be similarly applied to determine k in the presence of sea ice. The magnitude of k through gaps in the ice may reach high values as ice cover increases, possibly as a result of focused turbulence dissipation at openings in the free surface. These 58 profiles are presently the most complete set of estimates of k across seasons and variable ice cover; as dissolved tracer budgets they reflect air-sea gas exchange with no impact from air-ice gas exchange.

  14. Radon and radium in the ice-covered Arctic Ocean, and what they reveal about gas exchange in the sea ice zone.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Loose, B.; Kelly, R. P.; Bigdeli, A.; Moran, S. B.

    2014-12-01

    The polar sea ice zones are regions of high primary productivity and interior water mass formation. Consequently, the seasonal sea ice cycle appears important to both the solubility and biological carbon pumps. To estimate net CO2 transfer in the sea ice zone, we require accurate estimates of the air-sea gas transfer velocity. In the open ocean, the gas transfer velocity is driven by wind, waves and bubbles - all of which are strongly altered by the presence of sea ice, making it difficult to translate open ocean estimates of gas transfer to the ice zone. In this study, we present profiles of 222Rn and 226Ra throughout the mixed-layer and euphotic zone. Profiles were collected spanning a range of sea ice cover conditions from 40 to 100%. The profiles of Rn/Ra can be used to estimate the gas transfer velocity, but the 3.8 day half-life of 222Rn implies that mixed layer radon will have a memory of the past ~20 days of gas exchange forcing, which may include a range of sea ice cover conditions. Here, we compare individual estimates of the gas transfer velocity to the turbulent forcing conditions constrained from shipboard and regional reanalysis data to more appropriately capture the time history upper ocean Rn/Ra.

  15. Radar and infrared remote sensing of terrain, water resources, arctic sea ice, and agriculture

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Biggs, A. W.

    1983-01-01

    Radar range measurements, basic waveforms of radar systems, and radar displays are initially described. These are followed by backscatter from several types of terrain and vegetation as a function of frequency and grazing angle. Analytical models for this backscatter include the facet models of radar return, with range-angle, velocity-range, velocity-angle, range, velocity, and angular only discriminations. Several side-looking airborne radar geometries are presented. Radar images of Arctic sea ice, fresh water lake ice, cloud-covered terrain, and related areas are presented to identify applications of radar imagery. Volume scatter models are applied to radar imagery from alpine snowfields. Short pulse ice thickness radar for subsurface probes is discussed in fresh-water ice and sea ice detection. Infrared scanners, including multispectral, are described. Diffusion of cold water into a river, Arctic sea ice, power plant discharges, volcanic heat, and related areas are presented in thermal imagery. Multispectral radar and infrared imagery are discussed, with comparisons of photographic, infrared, and radar imagery of the same terrain or subjects.

  16. The barrier to ice nucleation in monatomic water

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Prestipino, Santi

    2018-03-01

    Crystallization from a supercooled liquid initially proceeds via the formation of a small solid embryo (nucleus), which requires surmounting an activation barrier. This phenomenon is most easily studied by numerical simulation, using specialized biased-sampling techniques to overcome the limitations imposed by the rarity of nucleation events. Here, I focus on the barrier to homogeneous ice nucleation in supercooled water, as represented by the monatomic-water model, which in the bulk exhibits a complex interplay between different ice structures. I consider various protocols to identify solidlike particles on a computer, which perform well enough for the Lennard-Jones model, and compare their respective impact on the shape and height of the nucleation barrier. It turns out that the effect is stronger on the nucleus size than on the barrier height. As a by-product of the analysis, I determine the structure of the nucleation cluster, finding that the relative amount of ice phases in the cluster heavily depends on the method used for classifying solidlike particles. Moreover, the phase which is most favored during the earlier stages of crystallization may happen, depending on the nucleation coordinate adopted, to be different from the stable polymorph. Therefore, the quality of a reaction coordinate cannot be assessed simply on the basis of the barrier height obtained. I explain how this outcome is possible and why it just points out the shortcoming of collective variables appropriate to simple fluids in providing a robust method of particle classification for monatomic water.

  17. Equilibrium freezing of leaf water and extracellular ice formation in Afroalpine 'giant rosette' plants.

    PubMed

    Beck, E; Schulze, E D; Senser, M; Scheibe, R

    1984-09-01

    The water potentials of frozen leaves of Afroalpine plants were measured psychrometrically in the field. Comparison of these potentials with the osmotic potentials of an expressed cellular sap and the water potentials of ice indicated almost ideal freezing behaviour and suggested equilibrium freezing. On the basis of the osmotic potentials of expressed cellular sap, the fractions of frozen cellular water which correspond to the measured water potentials of the frozen leaves could be determined (e.g. 74% at -3.0° C). The freezing points of leaves were found to be in the range between 0° C and -0.5° C, rendering evidence for freezing of almost pure water and thus confirming the conclusions drawn from the water-potential measurements. The leaves proved to be frost resistant down to temperatures between -5° C and -15° C, as depending on the species. They tolerated short supercooling periods which were necessary in order to start ice nucleation. Extracellular ice caps and ice crystals in the intercellular space were observed when cross sections of frozen leaves were investigated microscopically at subfreezing temperatures.

  18. Peculiarities of the Bound Water and Water Ice Seasonal Variations in the Martian Surface Layer of the Regolith.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kuzmin, R. O.; Zabalueva, E. V.; Evdokimova, N. A.; Christensen, P. H.; Mitrofanov, I. G.; Litvak, M. L.

    2008-09-01

    Introduction: The processes of the hydration/ dehydration of salt minerals within the Martian soil and the condensation/sublimation of water ice (and frost) in the surficial soil layer and on the polar cap surface play great significance in the modern water cycle on Mars and directly affect the redistribution of the water phases and forms in the system "atmosphere/regolith/polar caps" [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. The processes are reversible in time and their intensity is strongly dependent on such time-variable climatic parameters as atmospheric and surface temperature, atmospheric water vapour content and specific features of atmospheric seasonal circulation [6, 7, 8, 9, 10]. In the work we report the study results of the seasonal variations of the chemically bound water (BW) spectral signature (based on the TES and OMEGA data), estimation and mapping of the winterand spring-time water ice increase within the Martian surface soil (based on the TES and HEND data). Analysis and results: Regional and global mapping of the BW spectral index distribution as function of the seasons was conducted by using of the 6.1 μm emission pick from the TES dataset and the 1.91 μm absorption band from reflectance spectra of the OMEGA data. The study of the seasonal redistribution of the water ice (and frost) within the thin surficial soil layer was conducted based on the TES thermal inertia (TI) data and the HEND neutrons flux mapping data. Bound water mapping: The mapping of the TES 6.1 μm BW index distributions was conducted at the time steps from 30° to 60° of Ls [11]. The mapping results show remarkable changes of the BW index values from one season to other one at notable latitudinal dependence of the index (Fig.1). At that, the higher BW index values are disposed mostly within the peripheral zone near the edge of the perennial and seasonal polar caps (cooler, wetter areas), while the lower BW index values are observed at low latitudes (warmer, drier areas). Between the Nspring (Ls=0

  19. Peculiarities of the Bound Water and Water Ice Seasonal Variations in the Martian Surface Layer of the Regolith.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kuzmin, R. O.; Zabalueva, E. V.; Evdokimova, N. A.; Christensen, P. H.; Mitrofanov, I. G.; Litvak, M. L.

    2008-09-01

    Introduction: The processes of the hydration/ dehydration of salt minerals within the Martian soil and the condensation/sublimation of water ice (and frost) in the surficial soil layer and on the polar cap surface play great significance in the modern water cycle on Mars and directly affect the redistribution of the water phases and forms in the system "atmosphere/regolith/polar caps" [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. The processes are reversible in time and their intensity is strongly dependent on such time-variable climatic parameters as atmospheric and surface temperature, atmospheric water vapour content and specific features of atmospheric seasonal circulation [6, 7, 8, 9, 10]. In the work we report the study results of the seasonal variations of the chemically bound water (BW) spectral signature (based on the TES and OMEGA data), estimation and mapping of the winterand spring-time water ice increase within the Martian surface soil (based on the TES and HEND data). Analysis and results: Regional and global mapping of the BW spectral index distribution as function of the seasons was conducted by using of the 6.1 μm emission pick from the TES dataset and the 1.91 μm absorption band from reflectance spectra of the OMEGA data. The study of the seasonal redistribution of the water ice (and frost) within the thin surficial soil layer was conducted based on the TES thermal inertia (TI) data and the HEND neutrons flux mapping data. Bound water mapping: The mapping of the TES 6.1 μm BW index distributions was conducted at the time steps from 30° to 60° of Ls [11]. The mapping results show remarkable changes of the BW index values from one season to other one at notable latitudinal dependence of the index (Fig.1). At that, the higher BW index values are disposed mostly within the peripheral zone near the edge of the perennial and seasonal polar caps (cooler, wetter areas), while the lower BW index values are observed at low latitudes (warmer, drier areas). Between the Nspring (Ls=0

  20. Water Droplet Impingement on Simulated Glaze, Mixed, and Rime Ice Accretions

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Papadakis, Michael; Rachman, Arief; Wong, See-Cheuk; Yeong, Hsiung-Wei; Hung, Kuohsing E.; Vu, Giao T.; Bidwell, Colin S.

    2007-01-01

    Water droplet impingement data were obtained at the NASA Glenn Icing Research Tunnel (IRT) for a 36-in. chord NACA 23012 airfoil with and without simulated ice using a dye-tracer method. The simulated ice shapes were defined with the NASA Glenn LEWICE 2.2 ice accretion program and including one rime, four mixed and five glaze ice shapes. The impingement experiments were performed with spray clouds having median volumetric diameters of 20, 52, 111, 154, and 236 micron. Comparisons to the experimental data were generated which showed good agreement for the rime and mixed shapes at lower drop sizes. For larger drops sizes LEWICE 2.2 over predicted the collection efficiencies due to droplet splashing effects which were not modeled in the program. Also for the more complex glaze ice shapes interpolation errors resulted in the over prediction of collection efficiencies in cove or shadow regions of ice shapes.

  1. The association of Antarctic krill Euphausia superba with the under-ice habitat.

    PubMed

    Flores, Hauke; van Franeker, Jan Andries; Siegel, Volker; Haraldsson, Matilda; Strass, Volker; Meesters, Erik Hubert; Bathmann, Ulrich; Wolff, Willem Jan

    2012-01-01

    The association of Antarctic krill Euphausia superba with the under-ice habitat was investigated in the Lazarev Sea (Southern Ocean) during austral summer, autumn and winter. Data were obtained using novel Surface and Under Ice Trawls (SUIT), which sampled the 0-2 m surface layer both under sea ice and in open water. Average surface layer densities ranged between 0.8 individuals m(-2) in summer and autumn, and 2.7 individuals m(-2) in winter. In summer, under-ice densities of Antarctic krill were significantly higher than in open waters. In autumn, the opposite pattern was observed. Under winter sea ice, densities were often low, but repeatedly far exceeded summer and autumn maxima. Statistical models showed that during summer high densities of Antarctic krill in the 0-2 m layer were associated with high ice coverage and shallow mixed layer depths, among other factors. In autumn and winter, density was related to hydrographical parameters. Average under-ice densities from the 0-2 m layer were higher than corresponding values from the 0-200 m layer collected with Rectangular Midwater Trawls (RMT) in summer. In winter, under-ice densities far surpassed maximum 0-200 m densities on several occasions. This indicates that the importance of the ice-water interface layer may be under-estimated by the pelagic nets and sonars commonly used to estimate the population size of Antarctic krill for management purposes, due to their limited ability to sample this habitat. Our results provide evidence for an almost year-round association of Antarctic krill with the under-ice habitat, hundreds of kilometres into the ice-covered area of the Lazarev Sea. Local concentrations of postlarval Antarctic krill under winter sea ice suggest that sea ice biota are important for their winter survival. These findings emphasise the susceptibility of an ecological key species to changing sea ice habitats, suggesting potential ramifications on Antarctic ecosystems induced by climate change.

  2. The Association of Antarctic Krill Euphausia superba with the Under-Ice Habitat

    PubMed Central

    Flores, Hauke; van Franeker, Jan Andries; Siegel, Volker; Haraldsson, Matilda; Strass, Volker; Meesters, Erik Hubert; Bathmann, Ulrich; Wolff, Willem Jan

    2012-01-01

    The association of Antarctic krill Euphausia superba with the under-ice habitat was investigated in the Lazarev Sea (Southern Ocean) during austral summer, autumn and winter. Data were obtained using novel Surface and Under Ice Trawls (SUIT), which sampled the 0–2 m surface layer both under sea ice and in open water. Average surface layer densities ranged between 0.8 individuals m−2 in summer and autumn, and 2.7 individuals m−2 in winter. In summer, under-ice densities of Antarctic krill were significantly higher than in open waters. In autumn, the opposite pattern was observed. Under winter sea ice, densities were often low, but repeatedly far exceeded summer and autumn maxima. Statistical models showed that during summer high densities of Antarctic krill in the 0–2 m layer were associated with high ice coverage and shallow mixed layer depths, among other factors. In autumn and winter, density was related to hydrographical parameters. Average under-ice densities from the 0–2 m layer were higher than corresponding values from the 0–200 m layer collected with Rectangular Midwater Trawls (RMT) in summer. In winter, under-ice densities far surpassed maximum 0–200 m densities on several occasions. This indicates that the importance of the ice-water interface layer may be under-estimated by the pelagic nets and sonars commonly used to estimate the population size of Antarctic krill for management purposes, due to their limited ability to sample this habitat. Our results provide evidence for an almost year-round association of Antarctic krill with the under-ice habitat, hundreds of kilometres into the ice-covered area of the Lazarev Sea. Local concentrations of postlarval Antarctic krill under winter sea ice suggest that sea ice biota are important for their winter survival. These findings emphasise the susceptibility of an ecological key species to changing sea ice habitats, suggesting potential ramifications on Antarctic ecosystems induced by climate

  3. Using Ice-Cooled Condensers in Chemistry Laboratory

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Solomon, Sally; Brook, Bryan; Rutkowsky, Susan; Bennet, Joseph

    2003-03-01

    An ice-cooled condenser, consisting of a jacket built around a tube open to the atmosphere with an outlet for removal of melting ice, is designed for use in academic laboratory classes. The apparatus can be used in place of standard water cooled condensers in setups where refluxing or distillation is performed. With this simple, inexpensive device there is no need for access to running water. Potential flooding due to insecure tubing is no longer a problem. The ice-cooled accessory, produced with standard glass tubing and either 14/10 or 14/20 ground glass joints, is compatible with most commercially available microscale or small scale kits. The device may even be used with an Erlenmeyer flask and a stopper or cork. Two experiments using ordinary household chemicals are suggested, one requiring refluxing and the other distillation.

  4. Polynyas and Ice Production Evolution in the Ross Sea (PIPERS)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ackley, S. F.

    2017-12-01

    One focus of the PIPERS cruise into the Ross Sea ice cover during April-June 2017 was the Terra Nova Bay (TNB) polynya where joint measurements of air-ice-ocean wave interaction were conducted over twelve days. In Terra Nova Bay, measurements were made in three katabatic wind events each with sustained winds over 35 ms-1 and air temperatures below -15C. Near shore, intense wave fields with wave amplitudes of over 2m and 7-9 sec periods built and large amounts of frazil ice crystals grew. The frazil ice gathered initially into short and narrow plumes that eventually were added laterally to create longer and wider streaks or bands. Breaking waves within these wider streaks were dampened which appeared to enhance the development of pancake ice. Eventually, the open water areas between the streaks sealed off, developing a complete ice cover of 100 percent concentration (80-90 percent pancakes, 20-10 percent frazil) over a wide front (30km). The pancakes continued to grow in diameter and thickness as waves alternately contracted and expanded the ice cover, with the thicker larger floes further diminishing the wave field and lateral motion between pancakes until the initial pancake ice growth ceased. The equilibrium thickness of the ice was 20-30cm in the pancake ice. While the waves had died off however, katabatic wind velocities were sustained and resulted in a wide area of concentrated, rafted, pancake ice that was rapidly advected downstream until the end of the katabatic event. High resolution TerraSar-X radar satellite imagery showed the length of the ice area produced in one single event extended over 300km or ten times the length of the open water area during one polynya event. The TNB polynya is therefore an "ice factory" where frazil ice is manufactured into pancake ice floes that are then pushed out of the assembly area and advected, rafted (and occasionally piled up into "dragon skin" ice), until the katabatic wind dies off at the coastal source.

  5. Warming in the Nordic Seas, North Atlantic storms and thinning Arctic sea ice

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Alexeev, Vladimir A.; Walsh, John E.; Ivanov, Vladimir V.; Semenov, Vladimir A.; Smirnov, Alexander V.

    2017-08-01

    Arctic sea ice over the last few decades has experienced a significant decline in coverage both in summer and winter. The currently warming Atlantic Water layer has a pronounced impact on sea ice in the Nordic Seas (including the Barents Sea). More open water combined with the prevailing atmospheric pattern of airflow from the southeast, and persistent North Atlantic storms such as the recent extremely strong Storm Frank in December 2015, lead to increased energy transport to the high Arctic. Each of these storms brings sizeable anomalies of heat to the high Arctic, resulting in significant warming and slowing down of sea ice growth or even melting. Our analysis indicates that the recently observed sea ice decline in the Nordic Seas during the cold season around Svalbard, Franz Joseph Land and Novaya Zemlya, and the associated heat release from open water into the atmosphere, contributed significantly to the increase in the downward longwave radiation throughout the entire Arctic. Added to other changes in the surface energy budget, this increase since the 1960s to the present is estimated to be at least 10 W m-2, which can result in thinner (up to at least 15-20 cm) Arctic ice at the end of the winter. This change in the surface budget is an important contributing factor accelerating the thinning of Arctic sea ice.

  6. Partitioning CloudSat Ice Water Content for Comparison with Upper-Tropospheric Ice in Global Atmospheric Models

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, W. A.; Woods, C. P.; Li, J. F.; Waliser, D. E.; Chern, J.; Tao, W.; Jiang, J. H.; Tompkins, A. M.

    2010-12-01

    CloudSat provides important estimates of vertically resolved ice water content (IWC) on a global scale based on radar reflectivity. These estimates of IWC have proven beneficial in evaluating the representations of ice clouds in global models. An issue when performing model-data comparisons of IWC particularly germane to this investigation, is the question of which component(s) of the frozen water mass are represented by retrieval estimates and how they relate to what is represented in models. The present study developed and applied a new technique to partition CloudSat total IWC into small and large ice hydrometeors, based on the CloudSat-retrieved ice particle size distribution (PSD) parameters. The new method allows one to make relevant model-data comparisons and provides new insights into the model’s representation of atmospheric IWC. The partitioned CloudSat IWC suggests that the small ice particles contribute to 20-30% of the total IWC in the upper troposphere when a threshold size of 100 μm is used. Sensitivity measures with respect to the threshold size, the PSD parameters, and the retrieval algorithms are presented. The new dataset is compared to model estimates, pointing to areas for model improvement. Cloud ice analyses from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts model agree well with the small IWC from CloudSat. The finite-volume multi-scale modeling framework model underestimates total IWC at 147 and 215 hPa, while overestimating the fractional contribution from the small ice species. These results are discussed in terms of their applications to, and implications for, the evaluation of global atmospheric models, providing constraints on the representations of cloud feedback and precipitation in global models, which in turn can help reduce uncertainties associated with climate change projections. Figure 1. A sample lognormal ice number distribution (red curve), and the corresponding mass distribution (black curve). The dotted line

  7. Regular network model for the sea ice-albedo feedback in the Arctic.

    PubMed

    Müller-Stoffels, Marc; Wackerbauer, Renate

    2011-03-01

    The Arctic Ocean and sea ice form a feedback system that plays an important role in the global climate. The complexity of highly parameterized global circulation (climate) models makes it very difficult to assess feedback processes in climate without the concurrent use of simple models where the physics is understood. We introduce a two-dimensional energy-based regular network model to investigate feedback processes in an Arctic ice-ocean layer. The model includes the nonlinear aspect of the ice-water phase transition, a nonlinear diffusive energy transport within a heterogeneous ice-ocean lattice, and spatiotemporal atmospheric and oceanic forcing at the surfaces. First results for a horizontally homogeneous ice-ocean layer show bistability and related hysteresis between perennial ice and perennial open water for varying atmospheric heat influx. Seasonal ice cover exists as a transient phenomenon. We also find that ocean heat fluxes are more efficient than atmospheric heat fluxes to melt Arctic sea ice.

  8. Microwave radiometric aircraft observations of the Fabry-Perot interference fringes of an ice-water system

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Harrington, R. F.; Swift, C. T.; Fedors, J. C.

    1980-01-01

    Airborne stepped-frequency microwave radiometer (SFMR) observations of the Fabry-Perot interference fringes of ice-water systems are discussed. The microwave emissivity at normal incidence of a smooth layered dielectric medium over a semi-infinite dielectric medium is examined for the case of ice over water as a function of ice thickness and attenuation coefficient, and the presence of quarter-wavelength oscillations in emissivity as the ice thickness and frequency are varied is pointed out. Experimental observations of pronounced quarter-wavelength oscillations in radiometric brightness temperature due to the Fabry-Perot interference fringes over smooth sea ice and lake ice varying in roughness as the radiometer frequencies were scanned are then presented.

  9. Melting of the precipitated ice IV in LiCl aqueous solution and polyamorphism of water.

    PubMed

    Mishima, Osamu

    2011-12-08

    Melting of the precipitated ice IV in supercooled LiCl-H(2)O solution was studied in the range of 0-0.6 MPa and 160-270 K. Emulsified solution was used to detect this metastable transition. Ice IV was precipitated from the aqueous solution of 2.0 mol % LiCl (or 4.8 mol % LiCl) in each emulsion particle at low-temperature and high-pressure conditions, and the emulsion was decompressed at different temperatures. The melting of ice IV was detected from the temperature change of the emulsified sample during the decompression. There was an apparently sudden change in the slope of the ice IV melting curve (liquidus) in the pressure-temperature diagram. At the high-pressure and high-temperature side of the change, the solute-induced freezing point depression was observed. At the low-pressure and low-temperature side, ice IV transformed into ice Ih on the decompression, and the transition was almost unrelated to the concentration of LiCl. These experimental results were roughly explained by the presumed existence of two kinds of liquid water (low-density liquid water and high-density liquid water), or polyamorphism in water, and by the simple assumption that LiCl dissolved maily in high-density liquid water. © 2011 American Chemical Society

  10. Airborne observations and simulations of three-dimensional radiative interactions between Arctic boundary layer clouds and ice floes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schäfer, M.; Bierwirth, E.; Ehrlich, A.; Jäkel, E.; Wendisch, M.

    2015-07-01

    Based on airborne spectral imaging observations, three-dimensional (3-D) radiative effects between Arctic boundary layer clouds and highly variable Arctic surfaces were identified and quantified. A method is presented to discriminate between sea ice and open water under cloudy conditions based on airborne nadir reflectivity γλ measurements in the visible spectral range. In cloudy cases the transition of γλ from open water to sea ice is not instantaneous but horizontally smoothed. In general, clouds reduce γλ above bright surfaces in the vicinity of open water, while γλ above open sea is enhanced. With the help of observations and 3-D radiative transfer simulations, this effect was quantified to range between 0 and 2200 m distance to the sea ice edge (for a dark-ocean albedo of αwater = 0.042 and a sea-ice albedo of αice = 0.91 at 645 nm wavelength). The affected distance Δ L was found to depend on both cloud and sea ice properties. For a low-level cloud at 0-200 m altitude, as observed during the Arctic field campaign VERtical Distribution of Ice in Arctic clouds (VERDI) in 2012, an increase in the cloud optical thickness τ from 1 to 10 leads to a decrease in Δ L from 600 to 250 m. An increase in the cloud base altitude or cloud geometrical thickness results in an increase in Δ L; for τ = 1/10 Δ L = 2200 m/1250 m in case of a cloud at 500-1000 m altitude. To quantify the effect for different shapes and sizes of ice floes, radiative transfer simulations were performed with various albedo fields (infinitely long straight ice edge, circular ice floes, squares, realistic ice floe field). The simulations show that Δ L increases with increasing radius of the ice floe and reaches maximum values for ice floes with radii larger than 6 km (500-1000 m cloud altitude), which matches the results found for an infinitely long, straight ice edge. Furthermore, the influence of these 3-D radiative effects on the retrieved cloud optical properties was investigated

  11. [The ice water test and bladder cooling reflex. Physiology, pathophysiology and clinical importance].

    PubMed

    Hüsch, T; Neuerburg, T; Reitz, A; Haferkamp, A

    2016-04-01

    Urodynamic studies are utilised for identification and follow-up of functional disorders of the lower urinary tract. Provocation tests are used to determine disorders which could not be revealed in standard cystometry. The ice water test is a simple test to identify neurogenic bladder dysfunction and to screen the integrity of the upper motor neuron in neurogenic bladder dysfunction. Development and significance of the ice water test is presented in this review against the background of physiology and pathophysiology of the lower urinary tract. A systematic review of PubMed and ScienceDirect databases was performed in April 2015. No language or time limitation was applied. The following key words and Medical Subject Heading terms were used to identify relevant studies: "ice water test", "bladder cooling reflex", "micturition" and "neuronal control". Review articles and bibliographies of other relevant studies identified were hand searched to find additional studies. The ice water test is performed by rapid instillation of 4-8 °C cold fluid into the urinary bladder. Hereby, afferent C fibers are activated by cold receptors in the bladder leading to the bladder cooling reflex. It is a spinal reflex which causes an involuntarily contraction of the urinary bladder. The test is normally positive in young infants during the first 4 years of life and become negative with maturation of the central nervous system afterwards by inhibition of the reflex. The damage of the upper motor neuron causes the recurrence of the reflex in the adulthood and indicates spinal and cerebral lesions. The ice water test is utilised to identify lesions of the upper motor neuron. However, in the case of detrusor acontractility the test will always be negative and can not be utilized to distinguish between neurogenic or muscular causes. Furthermore, the test is also positive in a small percentage of cases of non-neurogenic diseases, e.g. in prostate-related bladder outlet obstruction or

  12. Possible significance of cubic water-ice, H2O-Ic, in the atmospheric water cycle of Mars

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gooding, James L.

    1988-01-01

    The possible formation and potential significance of the cubic ice polymorph on Mars is discussed. When water-ice crystallizes on Earth, the ambient conditions of temperature and pressure result in the formation of the hexagonal ice polymorph; however, on Mars, the much lower termperature and pressures may permit the crystallization of the cubic polymorph. Cubic ice has two properties of possible importance on Mars: it is an excellant nucleator of other volatiles (such as CO2), and it undergoes an exothermic transition to hexagonal ice at temperatures above 170 K. These properties may have significant implications for both martian cloud formation and the development of the seasonal polar caps.

  13. Measuring the sea ice floe size distribution

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rothrock, D. A.; Thorndike, A. S.

    1984-01-01

    The sea ice covering the Arctic Ocean is broken into distinct pieces,called floes. In the summer, these floes, which have diameters ranging up to 100 km, are separated from each other by a region of open water. In the winter, floes still exist, but they are less easily identified. An understanding of the geometry of the ice pack is of interest for a number of practical applications associated with transportation in ice-covered seas and with the design of offshore structures intended to survive in the presence of ice. The present investigation has the objective to clarify ideas about floe sizes and to propose techniques for measuring them. Measurements are presented with the primary aim to illustrate points of technique or approach. A preliminary discussion of the floe size distribution of sea ice is devoted to questions of definition and of measurement.

  14. Does Arctic sea ice reduction foster shelf-basin exchange?

    PubMed

    Ivanov, Vladimir; Watanabe, Eiji

    2013-12-01

    The recent shift in Arctic ice conditions from prevailing multi-year ice to first-year ice will presumably intensify fall-winter sea ice freezing and the associated salt flux to the underlying water column. Here, we conduct a dual modeling study whose results suggest that the predicted catastrophic consequences for the global thermohaline circulation (THC), as a result of the disappearance of Arctic sea ice, may not necessarily occur. In a warmer climate, the substantial fraction of dense water feeding the Greenland-Scotland overflow may form on Arctic shelves and cascade to the deep basin, thus replenishing dense water, which currently forms through open ocean convection in the sub-Arctic seas. We have used a simplified model for estimating how increased ice production influences shelf-basin exchange associated with dense water cascading. We have carried out case studies in two regions of the Arctic Ocean where cascading was observed in the past. The baseline range of buoyancy-forcing derived from the columnar ice formation was calculated as part of a 30-year experiment of the pan-Arctic coupled ice-ocean general circulation model (GCM). The GCM results indicate that mechanical sea ice divergence associated with lateral advection accounts for a significant part of the interannual variations in sea ice thermal production in the coastal polynya regions. This forcing was then rectified by taking into account sub-grid processes and used in a regional model with analytically prescribed bottom topography and vertical stratification in order to examine specific cascading conditions in the Pacific and Atlantic sectors of the Arctic Ocean. Our results demonstrate that the consequences of enhanced ice formation depend on geographical location and shelf-basin bathymetry. In the Pacific sector, strong density stratification in slope waters impedes noticeable deepening of shelf-origin water, even for the strongest forcing applied. In the Atlantic sector, a 1.5x increase of

  15. West Antarctic Ice Sheet retreat driven by Holocene warm water incursions

    PubMed Central

    Hillenbrand, Claus-Dieter; Smith, James A.; Hodell, David A.; Greaves, Mervyn; Poole, Christopher R.; Kender, Sev; Williams, Mark; Andersen, Thorbjørn Joest; Jernas, Patrycja E.; Klages, Johann P.; Roberts, Stephen J.; Gohl, Karsten; Larter, Robert D.; Kuhn, Gerhard

    2017-01-01

    Glaciological and oceanographic observations coupled with numerical models show that warm Circumpolar Deep Water (CDW) upwelling onto the West Antarctic continental shelf causes melting of the undersides of floating ice shelves. Because these ice shelves buttress glaciers feeding into them, their ocean-induced thinning is driving Antarctic ice-sheet loss today. Here we present the first multi-proxy data based reconstruction of variability in CDW inflow to the Amundsen Sea sector, the most vulnerable part of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, during the last 11,000 years. The chemical composition of foraminifer shells and benthic foraminifer assemblages in marine sediments indicate that enhanced CDW upwelling, controlled by the latitudinal position of the Southern Hemisphere westerly winds, forced deglaciation of this sector both until 7,500 years ago, when an ice-shelf collapse may have caused rapid ice-sheet thinning further upstream, and since the 1940s. These results increase confidence in the predictive capability of current ice-sheet models. PMID:28682333

  16. Competition for water vapour results in suppression of ice formation in mixed-phase clouds

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Simpson, Emma L.; Connolly, Paul J.; McFiggans, Gordon

    2018-05-01

    The formation of ice in clouds can initiate precipitation and influence a cloud's reflectivity and lifetime, affecting climate to a highly uncertain degree. Nucleation of ice at elevated temperatures requires an ice nucleating particle (INP), which results in so-called heterogeneous freezing. Previously reported measurements for the ability of a particle to nucleate ice have been made in the absence of other aerosol which will act as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) and are ubiquitous in the atmosphere. Here we show that CCN can outcompete INPs for available water vapour thus suppressing ice formation, which has the potential to significantly affect the Earth's radiation budget. The magnitude of this suppression is shown to be dependent on the mass of condensed water required for freezing. Here we show that ice formation in a state-of-the-art cloud parcel model is strongly dependent on the criteria for heterogeneous freezing selected from those previously hypothesised. We have developed an alternative criteria which agrees well with observations from cloud chamber experiments. This study demonstrates the dominant role that competition for water vapour can play in ice formation, highlighting both a need for clarity in the requirements for heterogeneous freezing and for measurements under atmospherically appropriate conditions.

  17. Sea-ice cover in the Nordic Seas and the sensitivity to Atlantic water temperatures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jensen, Mari F.; Nisancioglu, Kerim H.; Spall, Michael A.

    2017-04-01

    Changes in the sea-ice cover of the Nordic Seas have been proposed to play a key role for the dramatic temperature excursions associated with the Dansgaard-Oeschger events during the last glacial. However, with its proximity to the warm Atlantic water, how a sea-ice cover can persist in the Nordic Seas is not well understood. In this study, we apply an eddy-resolving configuration of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology general circulation model with an idealized topography to study the presence of sea ice in a Nordic Seas-like domain. We assume an infinite amount of warm Atlantic water present in the south by restoring the southern area to constant temperatures. The sea-surface temperatures are restored toward cold, atmospheric temperatures, and as a result, sea ice is present in the interior of the domain. However, the sea-ice cover in the margins of the Nordic Seas, an area with a warm, cyclonic boundary current, is sensitive to the amount of heat entering the domain, i.e., the restoring temperature in the south. When the temperature of the warm, cyclonic boundary current is high, the margins are free of sea ice and heat is released to the atmosphere. We show that with a small reduction in the temperature of the incoming Atlantic water, the Nordic Seas-like domain is fully covered in sea ice. Warm water is still entering the Nordic Seas, however, this happens at depths below a cold, fresh surface layer produced by melted sea ice. Consequently, the heat release to the atmosphere is reduced along with the eddy heat fluxes. Results suggest a threshold value in the amount of heat entering the Nordic Seas before the sea-ice cover disappears in the margins. We study the sensitivity of this threshold to changes in atmospheric temperatures and vertical diffusivity.

  18. SIMPLE MODEL OF ICE SEGREGATION USING AN ANALYTIC FUNCTION TO MODEL HEAT AND SOIL-WATER FLOW.

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Hromadka, T.V.; Guymon, G.L.

    1984-01-01

    This paper reports on the development of a simple two-dimensional model of coupled heat and soil-water flow in freezing or thawing soil. The model also estimates ice-segregation (frost-heave) evolution. Ice segregation in soil results from water drawn into a freezing zone by hydraulic gradients created by the freezing of soil-water. Thus, with a favorable balance between the rate of heat extraction and the rate of water transport to a freezing zone, segregated ice lenses may form.

  19. Vertical Distribution of Dust and Water Ice Aerosols from CRISM Limb-geometry Observations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Smith, Michael Doyle; Wolff, Michael J.; Clancy, Todd; Kleinbohl, Armin; Murchie, Scott L.

    2013-01-01

    [1] Near-infrared spectra taken in a limb-viewing geometry by the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) on board the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter provide a useful tool for probing atmospheric structure. Specifically, the observed radiance as a function of wavelength and height above the limb enables the vertical distribution of both dust and water ice aerosols to be retrieved. More than a dozen sets of CRISM limb observations have been taken so far providing pole-to-pole cross sections, spanning more than a full Martian year. Radiative transfer modeling is used to model the observations taking into account multiple scattering from aerosols and the spherical geometry of the limb observations. Both dust and water ice vertical profiles often show a significant vertical structure for nearly all seasons and latitudes that is not consistent with the well-mixed or Conrath-v assumptions that have often been used in the past for describing aerosol vertical profiles for retrieval and modeling purposes. Significant variations are seen in the retrieved vertical profiles of dust and water ice aerosol as a function of season. Dust typically extends to higher altitudes (approx. 40-50km) during the perihelion season than during the aphelion season (<20km), and the Hellas region consistently shows more dust mixed to higher altitudes than other locations. Detached water ice clouds are common, and water ice aerosols are observed to cap the dust layer in all seasons.

  20. Putting life on ice: bacteria that bind to frozen water.

    PubMed

    Bar Dolev, Maya; Bernheim, Reut; Guo, Shuaiqi; Davies, Peter L; Braslavsky, Ido

    2016-08-01

    Ice-binding proteins (IBPs) are typically small, soluble proteins produced by cold-adapted organisms to help them avoid ice damage by either resisting or tolerating freezing. By contrast, the IBP of the Antarctic bacterium Marinomonas primoryensis is an extremely long, 1.5 MDa protein consisting of five different regions. The fourth region, a 34 kDa domain, is the only part that confers ice binding. Bioinformatic studies suggest that this IBP serves as an adhesin that attaches the bacteria to ice to keep it near the top of the water column, where oxygen and nutrients are available. Using temperature-controlled cells and a microfluidic apparatus, we show that M. primoryensis adheres to ice and is only released when melting occurs. Binding is dependent on the mobility of the bacterium and the functionality of the IBP domain. A polyclonal antibody raised against the IBP region blocks bacterial ice adhesion. This concept may be the basis for blocking biofilm formation in other bacteria, including pathogens. Currently, this IBP is the only known example of an adhesin that has evolved to bind ice. © 2016 The Authors.

  1. Evaluation of the Water Film Weber Number in Glaze Icing Scaling

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tsao, Jen-Ching; Kreeger, Richard E.; Feo, Alejandro

    2010-01-01

    Icing scaling tests were performed in the NASA Glenn Icing Research Tunnel to evaluate a new scaling method, developed and proposed by Feo for glaze icing, in which the scale liquid water content and velocity were found by matching reference and scale values of the nondimensional water-film thickness expression and the film Weber number. For comparison purpose, tests were also conducted using the constant We(sub L) method for velocity scaling. The reference tests used a full-span, fiberglass, 91.4-cm-chord NACA 0012 model with velocities of 76 and 100 knot and MVD sizes of 150 and 195 microns. Scale-to-reference model size ratio was 1:2.6. All tests were made at 0deg AOA. Results will be presented for stagnation point freezing fractions of 0.3 and 0.5.

  2. Onset of ice VII phase during ps laser pulse propagation through liquid water

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Paturi, Prem Kiran; Vaddapally, Rakesh Kumar; Acrhem Team

    2015-06-01

    Water dominantly present in liquid state on earth gets transformed to crystalline polymorphs under different dynamic loading conditions. Out of 15 different crystalline phases discovered till date, ice VII is observed to be stable over wide pressure (2-63 GPa) and temperature (>273 K) ranges. We present the onset of ice VII phase at low threshold of 2 mJ/pulse during 30 ps (532 nm, 10 Hz) laser pulse induced shock propagating through liquid water. Role of input pulse energy on the evolution of Stoke's and anti-Stoke's Raman shift of the dominant A1g mode of ice VII, filamentation, free-electrons, plasma shielding is presented. The H-bond network rearrangement, electron ion energy transfer time coinciding with the excitation pulse duration supported by the filamentation and plasma shielding of the ps laser pulses reduced the threshold of ice VII structure formation. Filamentation and the plasma shielding have shown the localized creation and sustenance of ice VII structure in liquid water over 3 mm length and 50 μm area of cross-section. The work is supported by Defence Research and Developement Organization, India through Grants-in-Aid Program.

  3. Study on heat transfer performance of water-borne and oily graphene coatings using anti-/de-icing component

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Long; Zhang, Yidu; Wu, Qiong; Jie, Zhang

    2018-02-01

    A graphene coating anti-/de-icing experiment was proposed by employing water-borne and oily graphene coatings on the composite material anti-/de-icing component. Considering the characteristics of helicopter rotor sensitivity to icing, a new graphene coating enhancing thermal conductivity of anti-/de-icing component was proposed. The anti-/de-icing experiment was conducted to validate the effectiveness of graphene coating. The results of the experiment show that the graphene coatings play a prominent role in controlling the heat transfer of anti-/de-icing component. The anti-/de-icing effect of oily graphene coating is superior to water-borne graphene.

  4. ALMA Thermal Mapping of Ceres – Search for Subsurface Water Ice

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Moullet, Arielle; Li, Jian-Yang; Titus, Timothy N.; Sykes, Mark V.; Hsieh, Henry H.

    2018-06-01

    Spectroscopic observations of the surface of Ceres by Dawn have demonstrated that hydrated minerals are ubiquitous, but only few smaller sites are enriched with water ice. This is somewhat surprising as Ceres is believed to host a large amount a water in its interior.The possibility of inhomogeneous subsurface water distribution can be investigated by tracing thermal inertia distribution. To that effect, we mapped the temperature of Ceres using 1.3mm maps of the whole surface obtained with the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) over three different epochs during one Ceres’ year. Assessing the thermal conditions at the depths probed by sub millimeter observations (a few cm below the surface, within the annual thermal skin depth) is critical to constrain the effective thermal inertia, and hence the status of subsurface water ice. We will present preliminary results in terms of temperature features and the corresponding thermal inertia derived based on comparisons from the KRC thermal model which has been extensively used for Mars. Initial analysis is consistent with the presence of near-surface high thermal inertia layer, presumably water ice, in the north polar region.This work is supported by the NASA Solar System Observations Program NNX15AE02G.

  5. Observations on the nucleation of ice VII in compressed water

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stafford, Samuel J. P.; Chapman, David J.; Bland, Simon N.; Eakins, Daniel E.

    2017-01-01

    Water can freeze upon multiple shock compression, but the window material determines the pressure of the phase transition. Several plate impact experiments were conducted with liquid targets on a single-stage gas gun, diagnosed simultaneously using photonic doppler velocimetry (PDV) and high speed imaging through the water. The experiments investigated why silica windows instigate freezing above 2.5 GPa whilst sapphire windows do not until 7 GPa. We find that the nucleation of ice occurs on the surfaces of windows and can be affected by the surface coating suggesting the surface energy of fused silica, likely due to hydroxyl groups, encourages nucleation of ice VII crystallites. Aluminium coatings prevent nucleation and sapphire surfaces do not nucleate until approximately 6.5 GPa. This is believed to be the threshold pressure for the homogeneous nucleation of water.

  6. Do pelagic grazers benefit from sea ice? Insights from the Antarctic sea ice proxy IPSO25

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schmidt, Katrin; Brown, Thomas A.; Belt, Simon T.; Ireland, Louise C.; Taylor, Kyle W. R.; Thorpe, Sally E.; Ward, Peter; Atkinson, Angus

    2018-04-01

    Sea ice affects primary production in polar regions in multiple ways. It can dampen water column productivity by reducing light or nutrient supply, provide a habitat for ice algae and condition the marginal ice zone (MIZ) for phytoplankton blooms on its seasonal retreat. The relative importance of three different carbon sources (sea ice derived, sea ice conditioned, non-sea-ice associated) for the polar food web is not well understood, partly due to the lack of methods that enable their unambiguous distinction. Here we analysed two highly branched isoprenoid (HBI) biomarkers to trace sea-ice-derived and sea-ice-conditioned carbon in Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) and relate their concentrations to the grazers' body reserves, growth and recruitment. During our sampling in January-February 2003, the proxy for sea ice diatoms (a di-unsaturated HBI termed IPSO25, δ13C = -12.5 ± 3.3 ‰) occurred in open waters of the western Scotia Sea, where seasonal ice retreat was slow. In suspended matter from surface waters, IPSO25 was present at a few stations close to the ice edge, but in krill the marker was widespread. Even at stations that had been ice-free for several weeks, IPSO25 was found in krill stomachs, suggesting that they gathered the ice-derived algae from below the upper mixed layer. Peak abundances of the proxy for MIZ diatoms (a tri-unsaturated HBI termed HBI III, δ13C = -42.2 ± 2.4 ‰) occurred in regions of fast sea ice retreat and persistent salinity-driven stratification in the eastern Scotia Sea. Krill sampled in the area defined by the ice edge bloom likewise contained high amounts of HBI III. As indicators for the grazer's performance we used the mass-length ratio, size of digestive gland and growth rate for krill, and recruitment for the biomass-dominant calanoid copepods Calanoides acutus and Calanus propinquus. These indices consistently point to blooms in the MIZ as an important feeding ground for pelagic grazers. Even though ice

  7. Ice Water Classification Using Statistical Distribution Based Conditional Random Fields in RADARSAT-2 Dual Polarization Imagery

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Y.; Li, F.; Zhang, S.; Hao, W.; Zhu, T.; Yuan, L.; Xiao, F.

    2017-09-01

    In this paper, Statistical Distribution based Conditional Random Fields (STA-CRF) algorithm is exploited for improving marginal ice-water classification. Pixel level ice concentration is presented as the comparison of methods based on CRF. Furthermore, in order to explore the effective statistical distribution model to be integrated into STA-CRF, five statistical distribution models are investigated. The STA-CRF methods are tested on 2 scenes around Prydz Bay and Adélie Depression, where contain a variety of ice types during melt season. Experimental results indicate that the proposed method can resolve sea ice edge well in Marginal Ice Zone (MIZ) and show a robust distinction of ice and water.

  8. Modeling of water isotopes in polar regions and application to ice core studies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jouzel, J.

    2012-04-01

    Willi Dansgaard spear-headed the use of the stable isotopes of water in climatology and palaeoclimatology especially as applied to deep ice cores for which measurements of the oxygen and hydrogen isotope ratios remain the key tools for reconstructing continuous palaeotemperature records. In the line of his pioneering work on "Stable isotopes in precipitation" published in Tellus in 1964, I will review how isotopic models, either Rayleigh type or based on the implementation of water isotopes in General Circulation Models, have developed and been used for applications in polar ice core studies. This will include a discussion of the conventional approach for interpreting water isotopes in ice cores and of additional information provided by measurements of the deuterium excess and more recently of the 17O-excess.

  9. Ice-sheet modelling accelerated by graphics cards

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Brædstrup, Christian Fredborg; Damsgaard, Anders; Egholm, David Lundbek

    2014-11-01

    Studies of glaciers and ice sheets have increased the demand for high performance numerical ice flow models over the past decades. When exploring the highly non-linear dynamics of fast flowing glaciers and ice streams, or when coupling multiple flow processes for ice, water, and sediment, researchers are often forced to use super-computing clusters. As an alternative to conventional high-performance computing hardware, the Graphical Processing Unit (GPU) is capable of massively parallel computing while retaining a compact design and low cost. In this study, we present a strategy for accelerating a higher-order ice flow model using a GPU. By applying the newest GPU hardware, we achieve up to 180× speedup compared to a similar but serial CPU implementation. Our results suggest that GPU acceleration is a competitive option for ice-flow modelling when compared to CPU-optimised algorithms parallelised by the OpenMP or Message Passing Interface (MPI) protocols.

  10. Heavy ion irradiation of crystalline water ice. Cosmic ray amorphisation cross-section and sputtering yield

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dartois, E.; Augé, B.; Boduch, P.; Brunetto, R.; Chabot, M.; Domaracka, A.; Ding, J. J.; Kamalou, O.; Lv, X. Y.; Rothard, H.; da Silveira, E. F.; Thomas, J. C.

    2015-04-01

    Context. Under cosmic irradiation, the interstellar water ice mantles evolve towards a compact amorphous state. Crystalline ice amorphisation was previously monitored mainly in the keV to hundreds of keV ion energies. Aims: We experimentally investigate heavy ion irradiation amorphisation of crystalline ice, at high energies closer to true cosmic rays, and explore the water-ice sputtering yield. Methods: We irradiated thin crystalline ice films with MeV to GeV swift ion beams, produced at the GANIL accelerator. The ice infrared spectral evolution as a function of fluence is monitored with in-situ infrared spectroscopy (induced amorphisation of the initial crystalline state into a compact amorphous phase). Results: The crystalline ice amorphisation cross-section is measured in the high electronic stopping-power range for different temperatures. At large fluence, the ice sputtering is measured on the infrared spectra, and the fitted sputtering-yield dependence, combined with previous measurements, is quadratic over three decades of electronic stopping power. Conclusions: The final state of cosmic ray irradiation for porous amorphous and crystalline ice, as monitored by infrared spectroscopy, is the same, but with a large difference in cross-section, hence in time scale in an astrophysical context. The cosmic ray water-ice sputtering rates compete with the UV photodesorption yields reported in the literature. The prevalence of direct cosmic ray sputtering over cosmic-ray induced photons photodesorption may be particularly true for ices strongly bonded to the ice mantles surfaces, such as hydrogen-bonded ice structures or more generally the so-called polar ices. Experiments performed at the Grand Accélérateur National d'Ions Lourds (GANIL) Caen, France. Part of this work has been financed by the French INSU-CNRS programme "Physique et Chimie du Milieu Interstellaire" (PCMI) and the ANR IGLIAS.

  11. Water Ice Clouds and Dust in the Martian Atmosphere Observed by Mars Climate Sounder

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Benson, Jennifer L.; Kass, David; Heavens, Nicholas; Kleinbohl, Armin

    2011-01-01

    The water ice clouds are primarily controlled by the temperature structure and form at the water condensation level. Clouds in all regions presented show day/night differences. Cloud altitude varies between night and day in the SPH and tropics: (1) NPH water ice opacity is greater at night than day at some seasons (2) The diurnal thermal tide controls the daily variability. (3) Strong day/night changes indicate that the amount of gas in the atmosphere varies significantly. See significant mixtures of dust and ice at the same altitude planet-wide (1) Points to a complex radiative and thermal balance between dust heating (in the visible) and ice heating or cooling in the infrared. Aerosol layering: (1) Early seasons reveal a zonally banded spatial distribution (2) Some localized longitudinal structure of aerosol layers (3) Later seasons show no consistent large scale organization

  12. Tracing Water Vapor and Ice During Dust Growth

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Krijt, Sebastiaan; Ciesla, Fred J.; Bergin, Edwin A.

    2016-12-01

    The processes that govern the evolution of dust and water (in the form of vapor or ice) in protoplanetary disks are intimately connected. We have developed a model that simulates dust coagulation, dust dynamics (settling, turbulent mixing), vapor diffusion, and condensation/sublimation of volatiles onto grains in a vertical column of a protoplanetary disk. We employ the model to study how dust growth and dynamics influence the vertical distribution of water vapor and water ice in the region just outside the radial snowline. Our main finding is that coagulation (boosted by the enhanced stickiness of icy grains) and the ensuing vertical settling of solids results in water vapor being depleted, but not totally removed, from the region above the snowline on a timescale commensurate with the vertical turbulent mixing timescale. Depending on the strength of the turbulence and the temperature, the depletion can reach factors of up to ˜50 in the disk atmosphere. In our isothermal column, this vapor depletion results in the vertical snowline moving closer to the midplane (by up to 2 gas scale heights) and the gas-phase {{C}}/{{O}} ratio above the vertical snowline increasing. Our findings illustrate the importance of dynamical effects and the need for understanding coevolutionary dynamics of gas and solids in planet-forming environments.

  13. Where's the Water in (Salty) Ice?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kahan, T.; Malley, P.

    2017-12-01

    Solutes can have large effects on reactivity in ice and at ice surfaces. Freeze concentration ("the salting out effect") forms liquid regions containing high solute concentrations surrounded by relatively solute-free ice. Thermodynamics can predict the fraction of ice that is liquid for a given temperature and (pre-frozen) solute concentration, as well as the solute concentration within these liquid regions, but they do not inform on the spatial distribution of the solutes and the liquid regions within the ice. This leads to significant uncertainty in predictions of reaction kinetics in ice and at ice surfaces. We have used Raman microscopy to determine the location of liquid regions within ice and at ice surface in the presence of sodium chloride (NaCl). Under most conditions, liquid channels are observed at the ice surface and throughout the ice bulk. The fraction of the ice that is liquid, as well as the widths of these channels, increases with increasing temperature. Below the eutectic temperature (-21.1 oC), no liquid is observed. Patches of NaCl.2H2O ("hydrohalite") are observed at the ice surface under these conditions. These results will improve predictions of reaction kinetics in ice and at ice surfaces.

  14. Oxo Crater on (1) Ceres: Geological History and the Role of Water-ice

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Nathues, A.; Platz, T.; Hoffmann, M.

    Dwarf planet Ceres (∅ ∼ 940 km) is the largest object in the main asteroid belt. Investigations suggest that Ceres is a thermally evolved, volatile-rich body with potential geological activity, a body that was never completely molten, but one that possibly partially differentiated into a rocky core and an ice-rich mantle, and may contain remnant internal liquid water. Thermal alteration and the infall of exogenic material contribute to producing a (dark) carbonaceous chondritic-like surface containing ammoniated phyllosilicates. Here we report imaging and spectroscopic analyses of data on the bright Oxo crater derived from the Framing Camera and the Visible andmore » Infrared Spectrometer on board the Dawn spacecraft. We confirm that the transitional complex crater Oxo (∅ ∼ 9 km) exhibits exposed surface water-ice. We show that this water-ice-rich material is associated exclusively with two lobate deposits at pole-facing scarps, deposits that also contain carbonates and admixed phyllosilicates. Due to Oxo’s location at −4802 m below the cerean reference ellipsoid and its very young age of only 190 ka (1 σ : +100 ka, −70 ka), Oxo is predestined for ongoing water-ice sublimation.« less

  15. A physically constrained classical description of the homogeneous nucleation of ice in water.

    PubMed

    Koop, Thomas; Murray, Benjamin J

    2016-12-07

    Liquid water can persist in a supercooled state to below 238 K in the Earth's atmosphere, a temperature range where homogeneous nucleation becomes increasingly probable. However, the rate of homogeneous ice nucleation in supercooled water is poorly constrained, in part, because supercooled water eludes experimental scrutiny in the region of the homogeneous nucleation regime where it can exist only fleetingly. Here we present a new parameterization of the rate of homogeneous ice nucleation based on classical nucleation theory. In our approach, we constrain the key terms in classical theory, i.e., the diffusion activation energy and the ice-liquid interfacial energy, with physically consistent parameterizations of the pertinent quantities. The diffusion activation energy is related to the translational self-diffusion coefficient of water for which we assess a range of descriptions and conclude that the most physically consistent fit is provided by a power law. The other key term is the interfacial energy between the ice embryo and supercooled water whose temperature dependence we constrain using the Turnbull correlation, which relates the interfacial energy to the difference in enthalpy between the solid and liquid phases. The only adjustable parameter in our model is the absolute value of the interfacial energy at one reference temperature. That value is determined by fitting this classical model to a selection of laboratory homogeneous ice nucleation data sets between 233.6 K and 238.5 K. On extrapolation to temperatures below 233 K, into a range not accessible to standard techniques, we predict that the homogeneous nucleation rate peaks between about 227 and 231 K at a maximum nucleation rate many orders of magnitude lower than previous parameterizations suggest. This extrapolation to temperatures below 233 K is consistent with the most recent measurement of the ice nucleation rate in micrometer-sized droplets at temperatures of 227-232 K on very short time scales

  16. Freshening by glacial meltwater enhances melting of ice shelves and reduces formation of Antarctic Bottom Water

    PubMed Central

    van Wijk, Esmee

    2018-01-01

    Strong heat loss and brine release during sea ice formation in coastal polynyas act to cool and salinify waters on the Antarctic continental shelf. Polynya activity thus both limits the ocean heat flux to the Antarctic Ice Sheet and promotes formation of Dense Shelf Water (DSW), the precursor to Antarctic Bottom Water. However, despite the presence of strong polynyas, DSW is not formed on the Sabrina Coast in East Antarctica and in the Amundsen Sea in West Antarctica. Using a simple ocean model driven by observed forcing, we show that freshwater input from basal melt of ice shelves partially offsets the salt flux by sea ice formation in polynyas found in both regions, preventing full-depth convection and formation of DSW. In the absence of deep convection, warm water that reaches the continental shelf in the bottom layer does not lose much heat to the atmosphere and is thus available to drive the rapid basal melt observed at the Totten Ice Shelf on the Sabrina Coast and at the Dotson and Getz ice shelves in the Amundsen Sea. Our results suggest that increased glacial meltwater input in a warming climate will both reduce Antarctic Bottom Water formation and trigger increased mass loss from the Antarctic Ice Sheet, with consequences for the global overturning circulation and sea level rise. PMID:29675467

  17. Freshening by glacial meltwater enhances melting of ice shelves and reduces formation of Antarctic Bottom Water.

    PubMed

    Silvano, Alessandro; Rintoul, Stephen Rich; Peña-Molino, Beatriz; Hobbs, William Richard; van Wijk, Esmee; Aoki, Shigeru; Tamura, Takeshi; Williams, Guy Darvall

    2018-04-01

    Strong heat loss and brine release during sea ice formation in coastal polynyas act to cool and salinify waters on the Antarctic continental shelf. Polynya activity thus both limits the ocean heat flux to the Antarctic Ice Sheet and promotes formation of Dense Shelf Water (DSW), the precursor to Antarctic Bottom Water. However, despite the presence of strong polynyas, DSW is not formed on the Sabrina Coast in East Antarctica and in the Amundsen Sea in West Antarctica. Using a simple ocean model driven by observed forcing, we show that freshwater input from basal melt of ice shelves partially offsets the salt flux by sea ice formation in polynyas found in both regions, preventing full-depth convection and formation of DSW. In the absence of deep convection, warm water that reaches the continental shelf in the bottom layer does not lose much heat to the atmosphere and is thus available to drive the rapid basal melt observed at the Totten Ice Shelf on the Sabrina Coast and at the Dotson and Getz ice shelves in the Amundsen Sea. Our results suggest that increased glacial meltwater input in a warming climate will both reduce Antarctic Bottom Water formation and trigger increased mass loss from the Antarctic Ice Sheet, with consequences for the global overturning circulation and sea level rise.

  18. High Ice Water Concentrations in the 19 August 2015 Coastal Mesoconvective System

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Proctor, Fred H.; Harrah, Steven; Switzer, George F.; Strickland, Justin K.; Hunt, Patricia J.

    2017-01-01

    During August 2015, NASA's DC-8 research aircraft was flown into High Ice Water Content (HIWC) events as part of a three-week campaign to collect airborne radar data and to obtain measurements from microphysical probes. Goals for this flight campaign included improved characterization of HIWC events, especially from an airborne radar perspective. This paper focuses on one of the flight days, in which a coastal mesoscale convective system (MCS) was investigated for HIWC conditions. The system appears to have been maintained by bands of convection flowing in from the Gulf of Mexico. These convective bands were capped by a large cloud canopy, which masks the underlying structure if viewed from an infrared sensing satellite. The DC-8 was equipped with an IsoKinetic Probe that measured ice concentrations of up to 2.3 g m(exp -3) within the cloud canopy of this system. Sustained measurements of ice crystals with concentrations exceeding 1 g m(exp -3) were encountered for up to ten minutes of flight time. Airborne Radar reflectivity factors were found to be weak within these regions of high ice water concentrations, suggesting that Radar detection of HIWC would be a challenging endeavor. This case is then investigated using a three-dimensional numerical cloud model. Profiles of ice water concentrations and radar reflectivity factor demonstrate similar magnitudes and scales between the flight measurements and model simulation. Also discussed are recent modifications to the numerical model's ice-microphysics that are based on measurements during the flight campaign. The numerical model and its updated ice-microphysics are further validated with a simulation of a well-known case of a supercell hailstorm measured during the Cooperative Convective Precipitation Experiment. Differences in HIWC between the continental supercell and the coastal MCS are discussed.

  19. Ice-Accretion Scaling Using Water-Film Thickness Parameters

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Anderson, David N.; Feo, Alejandro

    2003-01-01

    Studies were performed at INTA in Spain to determine water-film thickness on a stagnation-point probe inserted in a simulated cloud. The measurements were correlated with non-dimensional parameters describing the flow and the cloud conditions. Icing scaling tests in the NASA Glenn Icing Research Tunnel were then conducted using the Ruff scaling method with the scale velocity found by matching scale and reference values of either the INTA non-dimensional water-film thickness or a Weber number based on that film thickness. For comparison, tests were also performed using the constant drop-size Weber number and the average-velocity methods. The reference and scale models were both aluminum, 61-cm-span, NACA 0012 airfoil sections at 0 deg. AOA. The reference had a 53-cm-chord and the scale, 27 cm (1/2 size). Both models were mounted vertically in the center of the IRT test section. Tests covered a freezing fraction range of 0.28 to 1.0. Rime ice (n = 1.0) tests showed the consistency of the IRT calibration over a range of velocities. At a freezing fraction of 0.76, there was no significant difference in the scale ice shapes produced by the different methods. For freezing fractions of 0.40, 0.52 and 0.61, somewhat better agreement with the reference horn angles was typically achieved with the average-velocity and constant-film thickness methods than when either of the two Weber numbers was matched to the reference value. At a freezing fraction of 0.28, the four methods were judged equal in providing simulations of the reference shape.

  20. Synoptic Traveling Weather Systems on Mars: Effects of Radiatively-Active Water Ice Clouds

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hollingsworth, Jeffery L.; Kahre, Melinda A.; Haberle, Robert; Atsuki Urata, Richard

    2016-10-01

    Atmospheric aerosols on Mars are critical in determining the nature of its thermal structure, its large-scale circulation, and hence the overall climate of the planet. We conduct multi-annual simulations with the latest version of the NASA Ames Mars global climate model (GCM), gcm2.3+, that includes a modernized radiative-transfer package and complex water-ice cloud microphysics package which permit radiative effects and interactions of suspended atmospheric aerosols (e.g., water ice clouds, water vapor, dust, and mutual interactions) to influence the net diabatic heating. Results indicate that radiatively active water ice clouds profoundly affect the seasonal and annual mean climate. The mean thermal structure and balanced circulation patterns are strongly modified near the surface and aloft. Warming of the subtropical atmosphere at altitude and cooling of the high latitude atmosphere at low levels takes place, which increases the mean pole-to-equator temperature contrast (i.e., "baroclinicity"). With radiatively active water ice clouds (RAC) compared to radiatively inert water ice clouds (nonRAC), significant changes in the intensity of the mean state and forced stationary Rossby modes occur, both of which affect the vigor and intensity of traveling, synoptic period weather systems. Such weather systems not only act as key agents in the transport of heat and momentum beyond the extent of the Hadley circulation, but also the transport of trace species such as water vapor, water ice-clouds, dust and others. The northern hemisphere (NH) forced Rossby waves and resultant wave train are augmented in the RAC case: the modes are more intense and the wave train is shifted equatorward. Significant changes also occur within the subtropics and tropics. The Rossby wave train sets up, combined with the traveling synoptic-period weather systems (i.e., cyclones and anticyclones), the geographic extent of storm zones (or storm tracks) within the NH. A variety of circulation

  1. Synoptic Traveling Weather Systems on Mars: Effects of Radiatively-Active Water Ice Clouds

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hollingsworth, Jeffery; Kahre, Melinda; Haberle, Robert; Urata, Richard

    2017-01-01

    Atmospheric aerosols on Mars are critical in determining the nature of its thermal structure, its large-scale circulation, and hence the overall climate of the planet. We conduct multi-annual simulations with the latest version of the NASA Ames Mars global climate model (GCM), gcm2.3+, that includes a modernized radiative-transfer package and complex water-ice cloud microphysics package which permit radiative effects and interactions of suspended atmospheric aerosols (e.g., water ice clouds, water vapor, dust, and mutual interactions) to influence the net diabatic heating. Results indicate that radiatively active water ice clouds profoundly affect the seasonal and annual mean climate. The mean thermal structure and balanced circulation patterns are strongly modified near the surface and aloft. Warming of the subtropical atmosphere at altitude and cooling of the high latitude atmosphere at low levels takes place, which increases the mean pole-to-equator temperature contrast (i.e., "baroclinicity"). With radiatively active water ice clouds (RAC) compared to radiatively inert water ice clouds (nonRAC), significant changes in the intensity of the mean state and forced stationary Rossby modes occur, both of which affect the vigor and intensity of traveling, synoptic period weather systems. Such weather systems not only act as key agents in the transport of heat and momentum beyond the extent of the Hadley circulation, but also the transport of trace species such as water vapor, water ice-clouds, dust and others. The northern hemisphere (NH) forced Rossby waves and resultant wave train are augmented in the RAC case: the modes are more intense and the wave train is shifted equatorward. Significant changes also occur within the subtropics and tropics. The Rossby wave train sets up, combined with the traveling synoptic period weather systems (i.e., cyclones and anticyclones), the geographic extent of storm zones (or storm tracks) within the NH. A variety of circulation

  2. Synoptic Traveling Weather Systems on Mars: Effects of Radiatively-Active Water Ice Clouds

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hollingsworth, Jeffery; Kahre, Melinda; Haberle, Robert; Urata, Richard

    2017-01-01

    Atmospheric aerosols on Mars are critical in determining the nature of its thermal structure, its large-scale circulation, and hence the overall climate of the planet. We conduct multi-annual simulations with the latest version of the NASA Ames Mars global climate model (GCM), gcm2.3+, that includes a modernized radiative-transfer package and complex water-ice cloud microphysics package which permit radiative effects and interactions of suspended atmospheric aerosols (e.g., water ice clouds, water vapor, dust, and mutual interactions) to influence the net diabatic heating. Results indicate that radiatively active water ice clouds profoundly affect the seasonal and annual mean climate. The mean thermal structure and balanced circulation patterns are strongly modified near the surface and aloft. Warming of the subtropical atmosphere at altitude and cooling of the high latitude atmosphere at low levels takes place, which increases the mean pole-to-equator temperature contrast (i.e., "baroclinicity"). With radiatively active water ice clouds (RAC) compared to radiatively inert water ice clouds (nonRAC), significant changes in the intensity of the mean state and forced stationary Rossby modes occur, both of which affect the vigor and intensity of traveling, synoptic period weather systems.Such weather systems not only act as key agents in the transport of heat and momentum beyond the extent of the Hadley circulation, but also the transport of trace species such as water vapor, water ice-clouds, dust and others. The northern hemisphere (NH) forced Rossby waves and resultant wave train are augmented in the RAC case: the modes are more intense and the wave train is shifted equatorward. Significant changes also occur within the subtropics and tropics. The Rossby wave train sets up, combined with the traveling synoptic period weather systems (i.e., cyclones and anticyclones), the geographic extent of storm zones (or storm tracks) within the NH. A variety of circulation

  3. Long-Endurance, Ice-capable Autonomous Seagliders

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lee, C. M.; Gobat, J. I.; Shilling, G.; Curry, B.

    2012-12-01

    Autonomous Seagliders capable of extended (many months) operation in ice-covered waters have been developed and successfully employed as part of the US Arctic Observing Network. Seagliders operate routinely in lower-latitude oceans for periods of up to 9 months to provide persistent sampling in difficult, remote conditions, including strong boundary currents and harsh wintertime subpolar seas. The Arctic Observing Network calls for sustained occupation of key sections within the Arctic Ocean and across the critical gateways that link the Arctic to lower-latitude oceans, motivating the extension of glider technologies to permit operation in ice-covered waters. When operating in open water, gliders rely on GPS for navigation and Iridium satellite phones for data and command telemetry. Ice cover blocks access to the sea surface and thus prevents gliders from using these critical services. When operating under ice, ice-capable Seagliders instead navigate by trilateration from an array of RAFOS acoustic sound sources and employ advanced autonomy to make mission-critical decisions (previously the realm of the human pilot) and identify and exploit leads in the ice to allow intermittent communication through Iridium. Davis Strait, one of the two primary pathways through which Arctic waters exit into the subpolar North Atlantic, provided a convenient site for development of ice-capable Seagliders at a location where the resulting measurements could greatly augment the existing observing system. Initial testing of 780 Hz RAFOS sources in Davis Strait, substantiated by the performance of the operational array, indicates effective ranges of 100-150 km in ice-covered waters. Surface ducting and reflection off the ice bottom significantly degrade the range from the 500+ km expected in ice-free conditions. Comparisons between GPS and acoustically-derived positions collected during operations in ice-free conditions suggest 1-2 km uncertainty in the acoustically-derived positions

  4. Long-Endurance, Ice-capable Autonomous Seagliders

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lee, Craig; Gobat, Jason; Shilling, Geoff; Curry, Beth

    2013-04-01

    Autonomous Seagliders capable of extended (many months) operation in ice-covered waters have been developed and successfully employed as part of the US Arctic Observing Network. Seagliders operate routinely in lower-latitude oceans for periods of up to 9 months to provide persistent sampling in difficult, remote conditions, including strong boundary currents and harsh wintertime subpolar seas. The Arctic Observing Network calls for sustained occupation of key sections within the Arctic Ocean and across the critical gateways that link the Arctic to lower-latitude oceans, motivating the extension of glider technologies to permit operation in ice-covered waters. When operating in open water, gliders rely on GPS for navigation and Iridium satellite phones for data and command telemetry. Ice cover blocks access to the sea surface and thus prevents gliders from using these critical services. When operating under ice, ice-capable Seagliders instead navigate by trilateration from an array of RAFOS acoustic sound sources and employ advanced autonomy to make mission-critical decisions (previously the realm of the human pilot) and identify and exploit leads in the ice to allow intermittent communication through Iridium. Davis Strait, one of the two primary pathways through which Arctic waters exit into the subpolar North Atlantic, provided a convenient site for development of ice-capable Seagliders at a location where the resulting measurements could greatly augment the existing observing system. Initial testing of 780 Hz RAFOS sources in Davis Strait, substantiated by the performance of the operational array, indicates effective ranges of 100-150 km in ice-covered waters. Surface ducting and reflection off the ice bottom significantly degrade the range from the 500+ km expected in ice-free conditions. Comparisons between GPS and acoustically-derived positions collected during operations in ice-free conditions suggest 1-2 km uncertainty in the acoustically-derived positions

  5. Heating the Ice-Covered Lakes of the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica - Decadal Trends in Heat Content, Ice Thickness, and Heat Exchange

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gooseff, M. N.; Priscu, J. C.; Doran, P. T.; Chiuchiolo, A.; Obryk, M.

    2014-12-01

    Lakes integrate landscape processes and climate conditions. Most of the permanently ice-covered lakes in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica are closed basin, receiving glacial melt water from streams for 10-12 weeks per year. Lake levels rise during the austral summer are balanced by sublimation of ice covers (year-round) and evaporation of open water moats (summer only). Vertical profiles of water temperature have been measured in three lakes in Taylor Valley since 1988. Up to 2002, lake levels were dropping, ice covers were thickening, and total heat contents were decreasing. These lakes have been gaining heat since the mid-2000s, at rates as high as 19.5x1014 cal/decade). Since 2002, lake levels have risen substantially (as much as 2.5 m), and ice covers have thinned (1.5 m on average). Analyses of lake ice thickness, meteorological conditions, and stream water heat loads indicate that the main source of heat to these lakes is from latent heat released when ice-covers form during the winter. An aditional source of heat to the lakes is water inflows from streams and direct glacieal melt. Mean lake temperatures in the past few years have stabilized or cooled, despite increases in lake level and total heat content, suggesting increased direct inflow of meltwater from glaciers. These results indicate that McMurdo Dry Valley lakes are sensitive indicators of climate processes in this polar desert landscape and demonstrate the importance of long-term data sets when addressing the effects of climate on ecosystem processes.

  6. A New Way to Measure Cirrus Ice Water Content by Using Ice Raman Scatter with Raman Lidar

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wang, Zhien; Whiteman, David N.; Demoz, Belay; Veselovskii, Igor

    2004-01-01

    High and cold cirrus clouds mainly contain irregular ice crystals, such as, columns, hexagonal plates, bullet rosettes, and dendrites, and have different impacts on the climate system than low-level clouds, such as stratus, stratocumulus, and cumulus. The radiative effects of cirrus clouds on the current and future climate depend strongly on cirrus cloud microphysical properties including ice water content (IWC) and ice crystal sizes, which are mostly an unknown aspect of cinus clouds. Because of the natural complexity of cirrus clouds and their high locations, it is a challenging task to get them accurately by both remote sensing and in situ sampling. This study presents a new method to remotely sense cirrus microphysical properties by using ice Raman scatter with a Raman lidar. The intensity of Raman scattering is fundamentally proportional to the number of molecules involved. Therefore, ice Raman scattering signal provides a more direct way to measure IWC than other remote sensing methods. Case studies show that this method has the potential to provide essential information of cirrus microphysical properties to study cloud physical processes in cirrus clouds.

  7. MORICE--new technology for mechanical oil recovery in ice infested waters.

    PubMed

    Jensen, Hans V; Mullin, Joseph V

    2003-01-01

    Mechanical oil recovery in ice infested waters (MORICE) was initiated in 1995 to develop technology for the recovery of oil spills in ice. It has been a multinational effort involving Norwegian, Canadian, American and German organizations and researchers. Through a stepwise approach with the development organized in six separate phases, laboratory tests and field experiments have been conducted to study various ideas and concepts, and to refine the ideas that were considered to have the best potential for removing oil in ice. Put together in one unit, these concepts included ice processing equipment and two alternative oil recovery units installed on a work platform. In January 2002, the final oil and ice testing with MORICE concepts was conducted at the Ohmsett test facility in Leonardo, New Jersey. The unit has been referred to as a harbor version to indicate the size and operating conditions, but the concepts could be scaled up to increase the capacity of oil and ice processing. For heavier ice conditions it would also be necessary to increase the overall strength.

  8. West Antarctic Ice Sheet retreat driven by Holocene warm water incursions.

    PubMed

    Hillenbrand, Claus-Dieter; Smith, James A; Hodell, David A; Greaves, Mervyn; Poole, Christopher R; Kender, Sev; Williams, Mark; Andersen, Thorbjørn Joest; Jernas, Patrycja E; Elderfield, Henry; Klages, Johann P; Roberts, Stephen J; Gohl, Karsten; Larter, Robert D; Kuhn, Gerhard

    2017-07-05

    Glaciological and oceanographic observations coupled with numerical models show that warm Circumpolar Deep Water (CDW) incursions onto the West Antarctic continental shelf cause melting of the undersides of floating ice shelves. Because these ice shelves buttress glaciers feeding into them, their ocean-induced thinning is driving Antarctic ice-sheet retreat today. Here we present a multi-proxy data based reconstruction of variability in CDW inflow to the Amundsen Sea sector, the most vulnerable part of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, during the Holocene epoch (from 11.7 thousand years ago to the present). The chemical compositions of foraminifer shells and benthic foraminifer assemblages in marine sediments indicate that enhanced CDW upwelling, controlled by the latitudinal position of the Southern Hemisphere westerly winds, forced deglaciation of this sector from at least 10,400 years ago until 7,500 years ago-when an ice-shelf collapse may have caused rapid ice-sheet thinning further upstream-and since the 1940s. These results increase confidence in the predictive capability of current ice-sheet models.

  9. Bacterial community dynamics and activity in relation to dissolved organic matter availability during sea-ice formation in a mesocosm experiment.

    PubMed

    Eronen-Rasimus, Eeva; Kaartokallio, Hermanni; Lyra, Christina; Autio, Riitta; Kuosa, Harri; Dieckmann, Gerhard S; Thomas, David N

    2014-02-01

    The structure of sea-ice bacterial communities is frequently different from that in seawater. Bacterial entrainment in sea ice has been studied with traditional microbiological, bacterial abundance, and bacterial production methods. However, the dynamics of the changes in bacterial communities during the transition from open water to frozen sea ice is largely unknown. Given previous evidence that the nutritional status of the parent water may affect bacterial communities during ice formation, bacterial succession was studied in under ice water and sea ice in two series of mesocosms: the first containing seawater from the North Sea and the second containing seawater enriched with algal-derived dissolved organic matter (DOM). The composition and dynamics of bacterial communities were investigated with terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP), and cloning alongside bacterial production (thymidine and leucine uptake) and abundance measurements (measured by flow cytometry). Enriched and active sea-ice bacterial communities developed in ice formed in both unenriched and DOM-enriched seawater (0-6 days). γ-Proteobacteria dominated in the DOM-enriched samples, indicative of their capability for opportunistic growth in sea ice. The bacterial communities in the unenriched waters and ice consisted of the classes Flavobacteria, α- and γ-Proteobacteria, which are frequently found in natural sea ice in polar regions. Furthermore, the results indicate that seawater bacterial communities are able to adapt rapidly to sudden environmental changes when facing considerable physicochemical stress such as the changes in temperature, salinity, nutrient status, and organic matter supply during ice formation. © 2014 The Authors. MicrobiologyOpen published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  10. Polar zoobenthos blue carbon storage increases with sea ice losses, because across-shelf growth gains from longer algal blooms outweigh ice scour mortality in the shallows.

    PubMed

    Barnes, David K A

    2017-12-01

    One of the major climate-forced global changes has been white to blue to green; losses of sea ice extent in time and space around Arctic and West Antarctic seas has increased open water and the duration (though not magnitude) of phytoplankton blooms. Blueing of the poles has increases potential for heat absorption for positive feedback but conversely the longer phytoplankton blooms have increased carbon export to storage and sequestration by shelf benthos. However, ice shelf collapses and glacier retreat can calve more icebergs, and the increased open water allows icebergs more opportunities to scour the seabed, reducing zoobenthic blue carbon capture and storage. Here the size and variability in benthic blue carbon in mega and macrobenthos was assessed in time and space at Ryder and Marguerite bays of the West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP). In particular the influence of the duration of primary productivity and ice scour are investigated from the shallows to typical shelf depths of 500 m. Ice scour frequency dominated influence on benthic blue carbon at 5 m, to comparable with phytoplankton duration by 25 m depth. At 500 m only phytoplankton duration was significant and influential. WAP zoobenthos was calculated to generate ~10 7 , 4.5 × 10 6 and 1.6 × 10 6 tonnes per year (between 2002 and 2015) in terms of production, immobilization and sequestration of carbon respectively. Thus about 1% of annual primary productivity has sequestration potential at the end of the trophic cascade. Polar zoobenthic blue carbon capture and storage responses to sea ice losses, the largest negative feedback on climate change, has been underestimated despite some offsetting of gain by increased ice scouring with more open water. Equivalent survey of Arctic and sub-Antarctic shelves, for which new projects have started, should reveal the true extent of this feedback and how much its variability contributes to uncertainty in climate models. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  11. Direct calculation of ice homogeneous nucleation rate for a molecular model of water.

    PubMed

    Haji-Akbari, Amir; Debenedetti, Pablo G

    2015-08-25

    Ice formation is ubiquitous in nature, with important consequences in a variety of environments, including biological cells, soil, aircraft, transportation infrastructure, and atmospheric clouds. However, its intrinsic kinetics and microscopic mechanism are difficult to discern with current experiments. Molecular simulations of ice nucleation are also challenging, and direct rate calculations have only been performed for coarse-grained models of water. For molecular models, only indirect estimates have been obtained, e.g., by assuming the validity of classical nucleation theory. We use a path sampling approach to perform, to our knowledge, the first direct rate calculation of homogeneous nucleation of ice in a molecular model of water. We use TIP4P/Ice, the most accurate among existing molecular models for studying ice polymorphs. By using a novel topological approach to distinguish different polymorphs, we are able to identify a freezing mechanism that involves a competition between cubic and hexagonal ice in the early stages of nucleation. In this competition, the cubic polymorph takes over because the addition of new topological structural motifs consistent with cubic ice leads to the formation of more compact crystallites. This is not true for topological hexagonal motifs, which give rise to elongated crystallites that are not able to grow. This leads to transition states that are rich in cubic ice, and not the thermodynamically stable hexagonal polymorph. This mechanism provides a molecular explanation for the earlier experimental and computational observations of the preference for cubic ice in the literature.

  12. Direct calculation of ice homogeneous nucleation rate for a molecular model of water

    PubMed Central

    Haji-Akbari, Amir; Debenedetti, Pablo G.

    2015-01-01

    Ice formation is ubiquitous in nature, with important consequences in a variety of environments, including biological cells, soil, aircraft, transportation infrastructure, and atmospheric clouds. However, its intrinsic kinetics and microscopic mechanism are difficult to discern with current experiments. Molecular simulations of ice nucleation are also challenging, and direct rate calculations have only been performed for coarse-grained models of water. For molecular models, only indirect estimates have been obtained, e.g., by assuming the validity of classical nucleation theory. We use a path sampling approach to perform, to our knowledge, the first direct rate calculation of homogeneous nucleation of ice in a molecular model of water. We use TIP4P/Ice, the most accurate among existing molecular models for studying ice polymorphs. By using a novel topological approach to distinguish different polymorphs, we are able to identify a freezing mechanism that involves a competition between cubic and hexagonal ice in the early stages of nucleation. In this competition, the cubic polymorph takes over because the addition of new topological structural motifs consistent with cubic ice leads to the formation of more compact crystallites. This is not true for topological hexagonal motifs, which give rise to elongated crystallites that are not able to grow. This leads to transition states that are rich in cubic ice, and not the thermodynamically stable hexagonal polymorph. This mechanism provides a molecular explanation for the earlier experimental and computational observations of the preference for cubic ice in the literature. PMID:26240318

  13. Ice Front at Venable Ice Shelf

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2013-06-13

    This photo, taken onboard the Chilean Navy P3 aircraft, shows the ice front of Venable Ice Shelf, West Antarctica, in October 2008. It is an example of a small-size ice shelf that is a large melt water producer.

  14. Design of ice-free nanostructured surfaces based on repulsion of impacting water droplets.

    PubMed

    Mishchenko, Lidiya; Hatton, Benjamin; Bahadur, Vaibhav; Taylor, J Ashley; Krupenkin, Tom; Aizenberg, Joanna

    2010-12-28

    Materials that control ice accumulation are important to aircraft efficiency, highway and powerline maintenance, and building construction. Most current deicing systems include either physical or chemical removal of ice, both energy and resource-intensive. A more desirable approach would be to prevent ice formation rather than to fight its build-up. Much attention has been given recently to freezing of static water droplets resting on supercooled surfaces. Ice accretion, however, begins with the droplet/substrate collision followed by freezing. Here we focus on the behavior of dynamic droplets impacting supercooled nano- and microstructured surfaces. Detailed experimental analysis of the temperature-dependent droplet/surface interaction shows that highly ordered superhydrophobic materials can be designed to remain entirely ice-free down to ca. -25 to -30 °C, due to their ability to repel impacting water before ice nucleation occurs. Ice accumulated below these temperatures can be easily removed. Factors contributing to droplet retraction, pinning and freezing are addressed by combining classical nucleation theory with heat transfer and wetting dynamics, forming the foundation for the development of rationally designed ice-preventive materials. In particular, we emphasize the potential of hydrophobic polymeric coatings bearing closed-cell surface microstructures for their improved mechanical and pressure stability, amenability to facile replication and large-scale fabrication, and opportunities for greater tuning of their material and chemical properties.

  15. Interannual Variability of Water Ice Clouds at Gale Crater

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Martinez, G.; Giuranna, M.; McConnochie, T. H.; Tamppari, L.; Smith, M. D.; Vicente-Retortillo, Á.; Renno, N. O.; Kloos, J. L.; Moores, J. E.; Guzewich, S.

    2017-12-01

    The Aphelion Cloud Belt (ACB) is a water ice cloud band that encircles the planet longitudinally at latitudes ranging from about 10°S to 30°N during the northern spring and summer (aphelion season). The ACB has been studied extensively using satellite observations over the last two decades [1], showing little interannual variability from MY 24 to 34. The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission has completed more than 1750 sols of measurements at Gale crater (4.5°S), from Ls 155° in MY 31 to Ls 33° in MY 34. Interestingly, MSL results from various instruments indicate that the ACB produces significant interannual variability at Gale crater during the aphelion season. In particular, near-noon retrievals of water ice opacity by the ChemCam instrument indicate an increase in water ice opacity up to 50% from MY 32 to 33 [2], further supported by analysis of UV [3] and ground temperature [4] data taken by the Rover Environmental Monitoring Station during MY 32 and 33. A weaker ( 5%) increase in water ice opacity in MY 33 relative to MY 32 was also observed from images taken during afternoon hours by the rover's Navigation Cameras [5]. We are analyzing simultaneous and noncontemporary satellite observations at the location of Gale made by the Planetary Fourier Spectrometer [6], Mars Climate Sounder, Thermal Emission Imaging System and Thermal Emission Spectrometer to shed light on the nature of the interannual variability of the ACB at Gale, and to locally understand the relation between the ACB and the water cycle. References:[1] Smith, M.D. (2008), Spacecraft observations of the martian atmosphere, Annu. Rev. Earth Planet. Sci. 36. [2] McConnochie, T. H., et al. (2017), Retrieval of Water Vapor Column Abundance and Aerosol Properties from ChemCam Passive Sky Spectroscopy, Icarus (submitted). [3] Vicente-Retortillo, Á., et al. (2017), Determination of dust aerosol particle size at Gale Crater using REMS UVS and Mastcam measurements, GRL, 44. [4] Vasavada, A.R. et al

  16. The study of fresh-water lake ice using multiplexed imaging radar

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Leonard, Bryan M.; Larson, R.W.

    1975-01-01

    The study of ice in the upper Great Lakes, both from the operational and the scientific points of view, is receiving continued attention. Quantitative and qualitative field work is being conducted to provide the needed background for accurate interpretation of remotely sensed data. The data under discussion in this paper were obtained by a side-looking multiplexed airborne radar (SLAR) supplemented with ground-truth data.Because of its ability to penetrate adverse weather, radar is an especially important instrument for monitoring ice in the upper Great Lakes. It has previously been shown that imaging radars can provide maps of ice cover in these areas. However, questions concerning both the nature of the surfaces reflecting radar energy and the interpretation of the radar imagery continually arise.Our analysis of ice in Whitefish Bay (Lake Superior) indicates that the combination of the ice/water interlace and the ice/air interface is the major contributor to the radar backscatter as seen on the imagery At these frequencies the ice has a very low relative dielectric permittivity (< 3.0) and a low loss tangent Thus, this ice is somewhat transparent to the energy used by the imaging SLAR system. The ice types studied include newly formed black ice, pancake ice, and frozen and consolidated pack and brash ice.Although ice thickness cannot be measured directly from the received signals, it is suspected that by combining the information pertaining to radar backscatter with data on the meteorological and sea-state history of the area, together with some basic ground truth, better estimates of the ice thickness may be provided. In addition, certain ice features (e.g. ridges, ice-foot formation, areas of brash ice) may be identified with reasonable confidence. There is a continued need for additional ground work to verify the validity of imaging radars for these types of interpretations.

  17. Up-going Red Water in the Ice at the Bottom of the World: Picture Taking Boxes and Listening Boxes Tell Us How and Why

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Carr, C. G.; Pettit, E. C.

    2017-12-01

    Blood Falls is a place where red water comes out from under ice to the top of the ice and makes a strange red water fall. This ice is part of the big ice at the bottom of the world. The red water only comes out at some times and not every year, but it always comes out at the same place. The red water is important because it has tiny tiny not-animal life that tells us how life could be on other worlds. Knowing about the ice and red water is important because this ice is cold, colder than other ice in other places, and we want to know how water can get through. We didn't know why the red water comes up from under the ice when it does or how. We wanted to understand how the ice breaks and we watched the ice by taking pictures all year to see when the red water comes out. We found out that in the cold part of one year, the red water came out even though the air was not warm enough for water to be water! We think the red water comes out because the red water is blocked under the heavy ice and gets pushed tight. In the cold part of the year, cracks break down from the air into the ice and other cracks break up from under the ice because the red water is so pushed. The cracks from the top and bottom of the ice join, and the red water comes out. We used listening boxes that can feel how the ground moves to understand that the ice is breaking at the bottom and we can see that it breaks at the top of the ice. The red water can stay water and not ice inside the big ice because the red water has tiny pieces of the same stuff that can turn ice into water on the roads. If the ice breaks in the cold time, no water can get in from the top of the ice, so the red water under the ice stays clean from the air water. If the ice breaks in the warm time of year, water could get in from the top of the ice and make the red water under the ice not clean from the air. Since we saw in our pictures that the red water came out in the cold time of year, this means the red water could stay clean

  18. Solid-liquid interfacial free energy of ice Ih, ice Ic, and ice 0 within a mono-atomic model of water via the capillary wave method.

    PubMed

    Ambler, Michael; Vorselaars, Bart; Allen, Michael P; Quigley, David

    2017-02-21

    We apply the capillary wave method, based on measurements of fluctuations in a ribbon-like interfacial geometry, to determine the solid-liquid interfacial free energy for both polytypes of ice I and the recently proposed ice 0 within a mono-atomic model of water. We discuss various choices for the molecular order parameter, which distinguishes solid from liquid, and demonstrate the influence of this choice on the interfacial stiffness. We quantify the influence of discretisation error when sampling the interfacial profile and the limits on accuracy imposed by the assumption of quasi one-dimensional geometry. The interfacial free energies of the two ice I polytypes are indistinguishable to within achievable statistical error and the small ambiguity which arises from the choice of order parameter. In the case of ice 0, we find that the large surface unit cell for low index interfaces constrains the width of the interfacial ribbon such that the accuracy of results is reduced. Nevertheless, we establish that the interfacial free energy of ice 0 at its melting temperature is similar to that of ice I under the same conditions. The rationality of a core-shell model for the nucleation of ice I within ice 0 is questioned within the context of our results.

  19. The Detection of Water Ice in Comet Hale-Bopp

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Davies, John K.; Roush, Ted L.; Cruikshank, Dale P.; Bartholomew, Mary Jane; Geballe, Thomas R.; Owen, Tobias

    1996-01-01

    We present spectra of Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 01) covering the range 1.4-2.5 micron that were recorded when the comet was 7 AU from the Sun. These show I)road absorption features at 1.5 and 2.05 micron. We show that some, but not all, of this absorption could be matched by an intimate mixture of water ice and a low albedo material such as carbon on the nucleus. However, we recognize that it is more likely that the ice features are produced by scattering from icy grains in the coma. The absence of absorption at 1.65 micron suggests that this ice is probably in the amorphous state. An unidentified additional component may be required to account for the downward slope at the longwavelength end of the spectrum.

  20. Computational studies of atmospherically-relevant chemical reactions in water clusters and on liquid water and ice surfaces.

    PubMed

    Gerber, R Benny; Varner, Mychel E; Hammerich, Audrey D; Riikonen, Sampsa; Murdachaew, Garold; Shemesh, Dorit; Finlayson-Pitts, Barbara J

    2015-02-17

    CONSPECTUS: Reactions on water and ice surfaces and in other aqueous media are ubiquitous in the atmosphere, but the microscopic mechanisms of most of these processes are as yet unknown. This Account examines recent progress in atomistic simulations of such reactions and the insights provided into mechanisms and interpretation of experiments. Illustrative examples are discussed. The main computational approaches employed are classical trajectory simulations using interaction potentials derived from quantum chemical methods. This comprises both ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) and semiempirical molecular dynamics (SEMD), the latter referring to semiempirical quantum chemical methods. Presented examples are as follows: (i) Reaction of the (NO(+))(NO3(-)) ion pair with a water cluster to produce the atmospherically important HONO and HNO3. The simulations show that a cluster with four water molecules describes the reaction. This provides a hydrogen-bonding network supporting the transition state. The reaction is triggered by thermal structural fluctuations, and ultrafast changes in atomic partial charges play a key role. This is an example where a reaction in a small cluster can provide a model for a corresponding bulk process. The results support the proposed mechanism for production of HONO by hydrolysis of NO2 (N2O4). (ii) The reactions of gaseous HCl with N2O4 and N2O5 on liquid water surfaces. Ionization of HCl at the water/air interface is followed by nucleophilic attack of Cl(-) on N2O4 or N2O5. Both reactions proceed by an SN2 mechanism. The products are ClNO and ClNO2, precursors of atmospheric atomic chlorine. Because this mechanism cannot result from a cluster too small for HCl ionization, an extended water film model was simulated. The results explain ClNO formation experiments. Predicted ClNO2 formation is less efficient. (iii) Ionization of acids at ice surfaces. No ionization is found on ideal crystalline surfaces, but the process is efficient on

  1. Discovery of water ice nearly everywhere in the solar system

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Zuppero, A.

    1995-10-01

    During the last decade we have discovered sources of accessible water in some form nearly everywhere in the solar system. Water ice has been found on the planet Mercury; probably on the Earth`s Moon; on Mars; on near Earth objects; on comets whose orbits frequently come close to that of Earth`s orbit; probably on Ceres, the largest inner asteroid; and on comets previously and incorrectly considered to be out of practical reach. The comets also provide massive quantities of hydrocarbons, similar to oil shale. The masses of either water or hydrocarbons are measured in units of cubic kilometers. The watermore » is key to space transportation because it can be used as a rocket propellant directly, and because thermal process alone can be used to convert it and hydrocarbons into hydrogen, the highest performing rocket propellant. This presentation outlines what is currently known about the locations of the water ice, and sketches the requirements and environments of missions to prospect for and assay the water sources.« less

  2. Strain in shore fast ice due to incoming ocean waves and swell

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fox, Colin; Squire, Vernon A.

    1991-03-01

    Using a development from the theoretical model presented by Fox and Squire (1990), this paper investigates the strain field generated in shore fast ice by normally incident ocean waves and swell. After a brief description of the model and its convergence, normalized absolute strain (relative to a 1-m incident wave) is found as a function of distance from the ice edge for various wave periods, ice thicknesses, and water depths. The squared transfer function, giving the relative ability of incident waves of different periods to generate strain in the ice, is calculated, and its consequences are discussed. The ice is then forced with a Pierson-Moskowitz spectrum, and the consequent strain spectra are plotted as a function of penetration into the ice sheet. Finally, rms strain, computed as the incoherent sum of the strains resulting from energy in the open water spectrum, is found. The results have implications to the breakup of shore fast ice and hence to the floe size distribution of the marginal ice zone.

  3. Global warming releases microplastic legacy frozen in Arctic Sea ice

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Obbard, Rachel W.; Sadri, Saeed; Wong, Ying Qi; Khitun, Alexandra A.; Baker, Ian; Thompson, Richard C.

    2014-06-01

    When sea ice forms it scavenges and concentrates particulates from the water column, which then become trapped until the ice melts. In recent years, melting has led to record lows in Arctic Sea ice extent, the most recent in September 2012. Global climate models, such as that of Gregory et al. (2002), suggest that the decline in Arctic Sea ice volume (3.4% per decade) will actually exceed the decline in sea ice extent, something that Laxon et al. (2013) have shown supported by satellite data. The extent to which melting ice could release anthropogenic particulates back to the open ocean has not yet been examined. Here we show that Arctic Sea ice from remote locations contains concentrations of microplastics at least two orders of magnitude greater than those that have been previously reported in highly contaminated surface waters, such as those of the Pacific Gyre. Our findings indicate that microplastics have accumulated far from population centers and that polar sea ice represents a major historic global sink of man-made particulates. The potential for substantial quantities of legacy microplastic contamination to be released to the ocean as the ice melts therefore needs to be evaluated, as do the physical and toxicological effects of plastics on marine life.

  4. Ice-Ridge Pile Up and the Genesis of Martian "Shorelines"

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Barnhart, C. J.; Tulaczyk, S.; Asphaug, E.; Kraal, E. R.; Moore, J.

    2005-01-01

    Unique geomorphologic features such as basin terraces exhibiting topographic continuity have been found within several Martian craters as shown in Viking, MOC, and THEMIS images. These features, showing similarity to terrestrial shorelines, have been mapped and cataloged with significant effort [1]. Currently, open wave action on the surface of paleolakes has been hypothesized as the geomorphologic agent responsible for the generation of these features [2]. As consequence, feature interpretations, including shorelines, wave-cut benches, and bars are, befittingly, lacustrine. Because such interpretations and their formation mechanisms have profound implications for the climate and potential biological history of Mars, confidence is crucial. The insight acquired through linked quantitative modeling of geomorphologic agents and processes is key to accurately interpreting these features. In this vein, recent studies [3,4] involving the water wave energy in theoretical open water basins on Mars show minimal erosional effects due to water waves under Martian conditions. Consequently, sub-glacial lake flattens the surface, produces a local velocity increase over the lake, and creates a deviation of the ice flow from the main flow direction [11]. These consequences of ice flow are observed at Lake Vostok, Antarctica an excellent Martian analogue [11]. Martian observations include reticulate terrain exhibiting sharp inter-connected ridges speculated to reflect the deposition and reworking of ice blocks at the periphery of ice-covered lakes throughout Hellas [12]. Our model determines to what extent ice, a terrestrial geomorphologic agent, can alter the Martian landscape. Method: We study the evolution of crater ice plugs as the formation mechanism of surface features frequently identified as shorelines. In particular, we perform model integrations involving parameters such as ice slope and purity, atmospheric pressure and temperature, crater shape and composition, and an

  5. Nonthermal ice nucleation observed at distorted contact lines of supercooled water drops

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Yang, Fan; Cruikshank, Owen; He, Weilue

    Ice nucleation is the crucial step for ice formation in atmospheric clouds and therefore underlies climatologically relevant precipitation and radiative properties. Some progress has been made in understanding the roles of temperature, supersaturation, and material properties, but an explanation for the efficient ice nucleation occurring when a particle contacts a supercooled water drop has been elusive for over half a century. Here, we explore ice nucleation initiated at constant temperature and observe that mechanical agitation induces freezing of supercooled water drops at distorted contact lines. Results show that symmetric motion of supercooled water on a vertically oscillating substrate does notmore » freeze, no matter how we agitate it. However, when the moving contact line is distorted with the help of trace amounts of oil or inhomogeneous pinning on the substrate, freezing can occur at temperatures much higher than in a static droplet, equivalent to ~1010 increase in nucleation rate. Several possible mechanisms are proposed to explain the observations. One plausible explanation among them, decreased pressure due to interface curvature, is explored theoretically and compared with the observational results quasiquantitatively. Indeed, the observed freezing-temperature increase scales with contact line speed in a manner consistent with the pressure hypothesis. Whatever the mechanism, the experiments demonstrate a strong preference for ice nucleation at three-phase contact lines compared to the two-phase interface, and they also show that movement and distortion of the contact line are necessary contributions to stimulating the nucleation process.« less

  6. Nonthermal ice nucleation observed at distorted contact lines of supercooled water drops

    DOE PAGES

    Yang, Fan; Cruikshank, Owen; He, Weilue; ...

    2018-02-06

    Ice nucleation is the crucial step for ice formation in atmospheric clouds and therefore underlies climatologically relevant precipitation and radiative properties. Some progress has been made in understanding the roles of temperature, supersaturation, and material properties, but an explanation for the efficient ice nucleation occurring when a particle contacts a supercooled water drop has been elusive for over half a century. Here, we explore ice nucleation initiated at constant temperature and observe that mechanical agitation induces freezing of supercooled water drops at distorted contact lines. Results show that symmetric motion of supercooled water on a vertically oscillating substrate does notmore » freeze, no matter how we agitate it. However, when the moving contact line is distorted with the help of trace amounts of oil or inhomogeneous pinning on the substrate, freezing can occur at temperatures much higher than in a static droplet, equivalent to ~1010 increase in nucleation rate. Several possible mechanisms are proposed to explain the observations. One plausible explanation among them, decreased pressure due to interface curvature, is explored theoretically and compared with the observational results quasiquantitatively. Indeed, the observed freezing-temperature increase scales with contact line speed in a manner consistent with the pressure hypothesis. Whatever the mechanism, the experiments demonstrate a strong preference for ice nucleation at three-phase contact lines compared to the two-phase interface, and they also show that movement and distortion of the contact line are necessary contributions to stimulating the nucleation process.« less

  7. Nonthermal ice nucleation observed at distorted contact lines of supercooled water drops

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yang, Fan; Cruikshank, Owen; He, Weilue; Kostinski, Alex; Shaw, Raymond A.

    2018-02-01

    Ice nucleation is the crucial step for ice formation in atmospheric clouds and therefore underlies climatologically relevant precipitation and radiative properties. Progress has been made in understanding the roles of temperature, supersaturation, and material properties, but an explanation for the efficient ice nucleation occurring when a particle contacts a supercooled water drop has been elusive for over half a century. Here, we explore ice nucleation initiated at constant temperature and observe that mechanical agitation induces freezing of supercooled water drops at distorted contact lines. Results show that symmetric motion of supercooled water on a vertically oscillating substrate does not freeze, no matter how we agitate it. However, when the moving contact line is distorted with the help of trace amounts of oil or inhomogeneous pinning on the substrate, freezing can occur at temperatures much higher than in a static droplet, equivalent to ˜1010 increase in nucleation rate. Several possible mechanisms are proposed to explain the observations. One plausible explanation among them, decreased pressure due to interface curvature, is explored theoretically and compared with the observational results quasiquantitatively. Indeed, the observed freezing-temperature increase scales with contact line speed in a manner consistent with the pressure hypothesis. Whatever the mechanism, the experiments demonstrate a strong preference for ice nucleation at three-phase contact lines compared to the two-phase interface, and they also show that movement and distortion of the contact line are necessary contributions to stimulating the nucleation process.

  8. Nonthermal ice nucleation observed at distorted contact lines of supercooled water drops.

    PubMed

    Yang, Fan; Cruikshank, Owen; He, Weilue; Kostinski, Alex; Shaw, Raymond A

    2018-02-01

    Ice nucleation is the crucial step for ice formation in atmospheric clouds and therefore underlies climatologically relevant precipitation and radiative properties. Progress has been made in understanding the roles of temperature, supersaturation, and material properties, but an explanation for the efficient ice nucleation occurring when a particle contacts a supercooled water drop has been elusive for over half a century. Here, we explore ice nucleation initiated at constant temperature and observe that mechanical agitation induces freezing of supercooled water drops at distorted contact lines. Results show that symmetric motion of supercooled water on a vertically oscillating substrate does not freeze, no matter how we agitate it. However, when the moving contact line is distorted with the help of trace amounts of oil or inhomogeneous pinning on the substrate, freezing can occur at temperatures much higher than in a static droplet, equivalent to ∼10^{10} increase in nucleation rate. Several possible mechanisms are proposed to explain the observations. One plausible explanation among them, decreased pressure due to interface curvature, is explored theoretically and compared with the observational results quasiquantitatively. Indeed, the observed freezing-temperature increase scales with contact line speed in a manner consistent with the pressure hypothesis. Whatever the mechanism, the experiments demonstrate a strong preference for ice nucleation at three-phase contact lines compared to the two-phase interface, and they also show that movement and distortion of the contact line are necessary contributions to stimulating the nucleation process.

  9. Sea ice breakup and marine melt of a retreating tidewater outlet glacier in northeast Greenland (81°N).

    PubMed

    Bendtsen, Jørgen; Mortensen, John; Lennert, Kunuk; K Ehn, Jens; Boone, Wieter; Galindo, Virginie; Hu, Yu-Bin; Dmitrenko, Igor A; Kirillov, Sergei A; Kjeldsen, Kristian K; Kristoffersen, Yngve; G Barber, David; Rysgaard, Søren

    2017-07-10

    Rising temperatures in the Arctic cause accelerated mass loss from the Greenland Ice Sheet and reduced sea ice cover. Tidewater outlet glaciers represent direct connections between glaciers and the ocean where melt rates at the ice-ocean interface are influenced by ocean temperature and circulation. However, few measurements exist near outlet glaciers from the northern coast towards the Arctic Ocean that has remained nearly permanently ice covered. Here we present hydrographic measurements along the terminus of a major retreating tidewater outlet glacier from Flade Isblink Ice Cap. We show that the region is characterized by a relatively large change of the seasonal freshwater content, corresponding to ~2 m of freshwater, and that solar heating during the short open water period results in surface layer temperatures above 1 °C. Observations of temperature and salinity supported that the outlet glacier is a floating ice shelf with near-glacial subsurface temperatures at the freezing point. Melting from the surface layer significantly influenced the ice foot morphology of the glacier terminus. Hence, melting of the tidewater outlet glacier was found to be critically dependent on the retreat of sea ice adjacent to the terminus and the duration of open water.

  10. Sea ice ecosystems.

    PubMed

    Arrigo, Kevin R

    2014-01-01

    Polar sea ice is one of the largest ecosystems on Earth. The liquid brine fraction of the ice matrix is home to a diverse array of organisms, ranging from tiny archaea to larger fish and invertebrates. These organisms can tolerate high brine salinity and low temperature but do best when conditions are milder. Thriving ice algal communities, generally dominated by diatoms, live at the ice/water interface and in recently flooded surface and interior layers, especially during spring, when temperatures begin to rise. Although protists dominate the sea ice biomass, heterotrophic bacteria are also abundant. The sea ice ecosystem provides food for a host of animals, with crustaceans being the most conspicuous. Uneaten organic matter from the ice sinks through the water column and feeds benthic ecosystems. As sea ice extent declines, ice algae likely contribute a shrinking fraction of the total amount of organic matter produced in polar waters.

  11. Satellite Observed Variability in Antarctic and Arctic Surface Temperatures and Their Correlation to Open Water Areas

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Comiso, Josefino C.; Zukor, Dorothy (Technical Monitor)

    2000-01-01

    Recent studies using meterological station data have indicated that global surface air temperature has been increasing at a rate of 0.05 K/decade. Using the same set of data but for stations in the Antarctic and Arctic regions (>50 N) only, the increases in temperature were 0.08, and 0.22 K/decade, when record lengths of 100 and 50 years, respectively, were used. To gain insights into the increasing rate of warming, satellite infrared and passive microwave observations over the Arctic region during the last 20 years were processed and analyzed. The results show that during this period, the ice extent in the Antarctic has been increasing at the rate of 1.2% per decade while the surface temperature has been decreasing at about 0.08 K per decade. Conversely, in the Northern Hemisphere, the ice extent has been decreasing at a rate of 2.8% per decade, while the surface temperatures have been increasing at the rate of 0.38 K per decade. In the Antarctic, it is surprising that there is a short term trend of cooling during a global period of warming. Very large anomalies in open water areas in the Arctic were observed especially in the western region, that includes the Beaufort Sea, where the observed open water area was about 1x10(exp 6) sq km, about twice the average for the region, during the summer of 1998. In the eastern region, that includes the Laptev Sea, the area of open water was also abnormally large in the summer of 1995. Note that globally, the warmest and second warmest years in this century, were 1998 and 1995, respectively. The data, however, show large spatial variability with the open water area distribution showing a cyclic periodicity of about ten years, which is akin to the North Atlantic and Arctic Oscillations. This was observed in both western and eastern regions but with the phase of one lagging the other by about two years. This makes it difficult to interpret what the trends really mean. But although the record length of satellite data is still

  12. Photochemistry of coronene in cosmic water ice analogs at different concentrations.

    PubMed

    de Barros, A L F; Mattioda, A L; Ricca, A; Cruz, G; Allamandola, L J

    2017-10-20

    This work presents the photochemistry of ultraviolet (UV) irradiated coronene in water ices at 15 K, studied using mid-infrared Fourier transform (FTIR) spectroscopy for C 24 H 12 :H 2 O at concentrations of (1:50), (1:150), (1:200), (1:300) and (1:400). Previous UV irradiation studies of anthracene:H 2 O, pyrene:H 2 O and benzo[ghi]perylene:H 2 O ices at 15 K have shown that aromatic alcohols and ketones, as well as CO 2 and H 2 CO are formed at very low temperatures. Like-wise, here, in addition to the coronene cation, hydroxy-, keto-, and protonated coronene (coronene-H + ) are formed. The rate constants for the decay of neutral coronene and for the formation of photoproducts have been derived. It is shown that PAHs and their UV-induced PAH:H 2 O photoproducts have mid-infrared spectroscopic signatures in the 5-8 μ m region that can contribute to the interstellar ice components described by Boogert et al. (2008) as C1-C5. Our results suggest that oxygenated and hydrogenated PAHs could be in UV-irradiated regions of the ISM where water-rich ices are important.

  13. Photochemistry of Coronene in Cosmic Water Ice Analogs at Different Concentrations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    de Barros, A. L. F.; Mattioda, A. L.; Ricca, A.; Cruz-Diaz, G. A.; Allamandola, L. J.

    2017-10-01

    This work presents the photochemistry of ultraviolet (UV) irradiated coronene in water ices at 15 K studied using mid-infrared Fourier transform (FTIR) spectroscopy for C24H12:H2O at concentrations of (1:50), (1:150), (1:200), (1:300), and (1:400). Previous UV irradiation studies of anthracene:H2O, pyrene:H2O, and benzo[ghi]perylene:H2O ices at 15 K have shown that aromatic alcohols and ketones, as well as CO2 and H2CO, are formed at very low temperatures. Likewise, here, in addition to the coronene cation, hydroxy-, keto-, and protonated coronene (coronene H+) are formed. The rate constants for the decay of neutral coronene and for the formation of photoproducts have been derived. It is shown that Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their UV induced PAH:H2O photoproducts have mid-infrared spectroscopic signatures in the 5-8 μm region that can contribute to the interstellar ice components described by Boogert et al. as C1-C5. Our results suggest that oxygenated and hydrogenated PAHs could be in UV-irradiated regions of the interstellar medium where water-rich ices are important.

  14. Stability relationship for water droplet crystallization with the NASA Lewis icing spray

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Marek, C. John; Bartlett, C. Scott

    1987-01-01

    In order to produce small droplets for icing cloud simulation, high pressure air atomizing nozzles are used. For certain icing testing applications, median drop sizes as small as 5 mm are needed, which require air atomizing pressures greater than 3000 kPa. Isentropic expansion of the ambient temperature atomizing air to atmospheric pressure can result in air stream temperatures of -160 C which results in ice crystals forming in the cloud. To avoid such low temperatures, it is necessary to heat the air and water to high initial temperatures. An icing spray research program was conducted to map the temperatures below which ice crystals form. A soot slide technique was used to determine the presence of crystals in the spray.

  15. Observations and simulations of three-dimensional radiative interactions between Arctic boundary layer clouds and ice floes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schäfer, M.; Bierwirth, E.; Ehrlich, A.; Jäkel, E.; Wendisch, M.

    2015-01-01

    Based on airborne spectral imaging observations three-dimensional (3-D) radiative effects between Arctic boundary layer clouds and ice floes have been identified and quantified. A method is presented to discriminate sea ice and open water in case of clouds from imaging radiance measurements. This separation simultaneously reveals that in case of clouds the transition of radiance between open water and sea ice is not instantaneously but horizontally smoothed. In general, clouds reduce the nadir radiance above bright surfaces in the vicinity of sea ice - open water boundaries, while the nadir radiance above dark surfaces is enhanced compared to situations with clouds located above horizontal homogeneous surfaces. With help of the observations and 3-D radiative transfer simulations, this effect was quantified to range between 0 and 2200 m distance to the sea ice edge. This affected distance Δ L was found to depend on both, cloud and sea ice properties. For a ground overlaying cloud in 0-200 m altitude, increasing the cloud optical thickness from τ = 1 to τ = 10 decreases Δ L from 600 to 250 m, while increasing cloud base altitude or cloud geometrical thickness can increase Δ L; Δ L(τ = 1/10) = 2200 m/1250 m for 500-1000 m cloud altitude. To quantify the effect for different shapes and sizes of the ice floes, various albedo fields (infinite straight ice edge, circles, squares, realistic ice floe field) were modelled. Simulations show that Δ L increases by the radius of the ice floe and for sizes larger than 6 km (500-1000 m cloud altitude) asymptotically reaches maximum values, which corresponds to an infinite straight ice edge. Furthermore, the impact of these 3-D-radiative effects on retrieval of cloud optical properties was investigated. The enhanced brightness of a dark pixel next to an ice edge results in uncertainties of up to 90 and 30% in retrievals of cloud optical thickness and effective radius reff, respectively. With help of Δ L quantified here, an

  16. Selected physical, biological and biogeochemical implications of a rapidly changing Arctic Marginal Ice Zone

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Barber, David G.; Hop, Haakon; Mundy, Christopher J.; Else, Brent; Dmitrenko, Igor A.; Tremblay, Jean-Eric; Ehn, Jens K.; Assmy, Philipp; Daase, Malin; Candlish, Lauren M.; Rysgaard, Søren

    2015-12-01

    The Marginal Ice Zone (MIZ) of the Arctic Ocean is changing rapidly due to a warming Arctic climate with commensurate reductions in sea ice extent and thickness. This Pan-Arctic review summarizes the main changes in the Arctic ocean-sea ice-atmosphere (OSA) interface, with implications for primary- and secondary producers in the ice and the underlying water column. Changes in the Arctic MIZ were interpreted for the period 1979-2010, based on best-fit regressions for each month. Trends of increasingly open water were statistically significant for each month, with quadratic fit for August-November, illustrating particularly strong seasonal feedbacks in sea-ice formation and decay. Geographic interpretations of physical and biological changes were based on comparison of regions with significant changes in sea ice: (1) The Pacific Sector of the Arctic Ocean including the Canada Basin and the Beaufort, Chukchi and East Siberian seas; (2) The Canadian Arctic Archipelago; (3) Baffin Bay and Hudson Bay; and (4) the Barents and Kara seas. Changes in ice conditions in the Barents sea/Kara sea region appear to be primarily forced by ocean heat fluxes during winter, whereas changes in the other sectors appear to be more summer-autumn related and primarily atmospherically forced. Effects of seasonal and regional changes in OSA-system with regard to increased open water were summarized for photosynthetically available radiation, nutrient delivery to the euphotic zone, primary production of ice algae and phytoplankton, ice-associated fauna and zooplankton, and gas exchange of CO2. Changes in the physical factors varied amongst regions, and showed direct effects on organisms linked to sea ice. Zooplankton species appear to be more flexible and likely able to adapt to variability in the onset of primary production. The major changes identified for the ice-associated ecosystem are with regard to production timing and abundance or biomass of ice flora and fauna, which are related to

  17. The effects of sub-ice-shelf melting on dense shelf water formation and export in idealized simulations of Antarctic margins

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Marques, Gustavo; Stern, Alon; Harrison, Matthew; Sergienko, Olga; Hallberg, Robert

    2017-04-01

    Dense shelf water (DSW) is formed in coastal polynyas around Antarctica as a result of intense cooling and brine rejection. A fraction of this water reaches ice shelves cavities and is modified due to interactions with sub-ice-shelf melt water. This modified water mass contributes to the formation of Antarctic Bottom Water, and consequently, influences the large-scale ocean circulation. Here, we investigate the role of sub-ice-shelf melting in the formation and export of DSW using idealized simulations with an isopycnal ocean model (MOM6) coupled with a sea ice model (SIS2) and a thermodynamic active ice shelf. A set of experiments is conducted with variable horizontal grid resolutions (0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 km), ice shelf geometries and atmospheric forcing. In all simulations DSW is spontaneously formed in coastal polynyas due to the combined effect of the imposed atmospheric forcing and the ocean state. Our results show that sub-ice-shelf melting can significantly change the rate of dense shelf water outflows, highlighting the importance of this process to correctly represent bottom water formation.

  18. Direct evidence of warm water access to the Totten Glacier sub-ice shelf cavity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Orsi, A. H.; Rintoul, S. R.; Silvano, A.; van Wijk, E.; Pena-Molino, B.; Rosenberg, M. A.

    2015-12-01

    The Totten Glacier holds enough ice to raise global sea level by 3.5 m, is thinning according to (some) satellite data, and is grounded well below sea level on a retrograde bed and hence is potentially unstable. Basal melt driven by ocean heat flux has been linked to ice shelf thinning elsewhere in Antarctica, but no oceanographic measurements had been made near the Totten. In January 2015 the RSV Aurora Australis was the first ship to reach the Totten calving front. Observations from ship-board CTD, moorings and profiling floats provide direct confirmation that warm water reaches the ice shelf cavity. Warm water is present near the sea floor at every station deeper than 300 m depth, with maximum temperatures at mid-shelf >0.5°C. Mooring data confirm that the warm water is present year-round. A deep (>1100 m) channel at the calving front allows warm water (-0.4°C, >2°C above the local freezing point) to access the ice shelf cavity. The contrast between the oceanographic conditions near the Totten and near the Mertz Glacier is stark, although they are separated by only 30 degrees of longitude. East Antarctic ice shelves have often been assumed to behave in a similar manner and to be invulnerable to ocean change; these measurements suggest these assumptions need to be reconsidered.

  19. Sea Ice and Oceanographic Conditions.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Oceanus, 1986

    1986-01-01

    The coastal waters of the Beaufort Sea are covered with ice three-fourths of the year. These waters (during winter) are discussed by considering: consolidation of coastal ice; under-ice water; brine circulation; biological energy; life under the ice (including kelp and larger animals); food chains; and ice break-up. (JN)

  20. Water Vapor, Temperature, and Ice Particles in Polar Mesosphere as Measured by SABER/TIMED and OSIRIS/Odin Instruments

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Feofilov, A. G.; Petelina, S. V.; Kutepov, A. A.; Pesnell, W. D.; Goldberg, R. A.

    2009-01-01

    Although many new details on the properties of mesospheric ice particles that farm Polar Mesospheric Clouds (PMCs) and also cause polar mesospheric summer echoes have been recently revealed, certain aspects of mesospheric ice microphysics and dynamics still remain open. The detailed relation between PMC parameters and properties of their environment, as well as interseasonal and interhemispheric differences and trends in PMC properties that are possibly related to global change, are among those open questions. In this work, mesospheric temperature and water vapor concentration measured by the Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry (SABER) instrument on board the Thermosphere Ionosphere Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics (TIMED) satellite are used to study the properties of PMCs with respect to the surrounding atmosphere. The cloud parameters, namely location, brightness, and altitude, are obtained from the observations made by the Optical Spectrograph and Infrared Imager System (OSIRIS) on the Odin satellite. About a thousand of simultaneous common volume measurements made by SABER and OSIRIS in both hemispheres from 2002 until 2008 are used. The correlation between PMC brightness (and occurrence rate) and temperatures at PMC altitudes and at the mesopause is analysed. The relation between PMC parameters, frost point temperature, and gaseous water vapor content in and below the cloud is also discussed. Interseasonal and interhemispheric differences and trends in the above parameters, as well as in PMC peak altitudes and mesopause altitudes are evaluated.

  1. Sea ice classification using fast learning neural networks

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dawson, M. S.; Fung, A. K.; Manry, M. T.

    1992-01-01

    A first learning neural network approach to the classification of sea ice is presented. The fast learning (FL) neural network and a multilayer perceptron (MLP) trained with backpropagation learning (BP network) were tested on simulated data sets based on the known dominant scattering characteristics of the target class. Four classes were used in the data simulation: open water, thick lossy saline ice, thin saline ice, and multiyear ice. The BP network was unable to consistently converge to less than 25 percent error while the FL method yielded an average error of approximately 1 percent on the first iteration of training. The fast learning method presented can significantly reduce the CPU time necessary to train a neural network as well as consistently yield higher classification accuracy than BP networks.

  2. Detecting High Ice Water Content Cloud Regions Using Airborne and Satellite Observations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kheyrollah Pour, H.; Korolev, A.; Barker, H.; Wolde, M.; Heckman, I.; Duguay, C. R.

    2016-12-01

    Tropical mesoscale convective systems (MCS) have significant impacts on local and global hydrological cycles and radiation budgets. Moreover, high ice water content (HIWC) found inside MCS clouds at altitudes above 7 km have been identified as hazardous for aviation safety. The environment inside HIWC cloud regions may cause icing of aircraft engines resulting in uncontrolled engine power loss or damage. This phenomenon is known as ice crystal icing (ICI). International aviation regulatory agencies are now attempting to define techniques that enable prediction and detection of potential ICI environments. Such techniques range from on-board HIWC detection to nowcasting of ice crystal weather using satellite data and numerical weather prediction models. The most practical way to monitor continuously for areas of HIWC is by remote sensing with passive radiometers on geostationary satellites. Establishing correlations between HIWC cloud regions and radiances is, however, a challenging problem. This is because regions of HIWC can occur several kilometers below cloud top, while passive satellite radiometers response mainly to the upper kilometers of MCS clouds. The High Altitude Ice Crystals - High Ice Water Content (HAIC-HIWC) field campaigns in Cayenne, French Guiana collected a rich dataset from aboard the Canadian NRC Convair-580 that was equipped with a suite of in-situ microphysical instruments and Dopplerized W- and X-band radars with vertically- and horizontally-directed antenna. This paper aims to describe an algorithm that has been developed to establish relationships between satellite radiances and locations of HIWC regions identified from in-situ measurements of microphysical properties, Doppler velocities, and vertical and horizontal radar reflectivity.

  3. Water Ice in 2060 Chiron and Its Implications for Centaurs and Kuiper Belt Objects.

    PubMed

    Luu; Jewitt; Trujillo

    2000-03-10

    We report the detection of water ice in the Centaur 2060 Chiron, based on near-infrared spectra (1.0-2.5 µm) taken with the 3.8 m United Kingdom Infrared Telescope and the 10 m Keck Telescope. The appearance of this ice is correlated with the recent decline in Chiron's cometary activity: the decrease in the coma cross section allows previously hidden solid-state surface features to be seen. We predict that water ice is ubiquitous among Centaurs and Kuiper Belt objects, but its surface coverage varies from object to object and thus determines its detectability and the occurrence of cometary activity.

  4. Local order parameters for use in driving homogeneous ice nucleation with all-atom models of water

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Reinhardt, Aleks; Doye, Jonathan P. K.; Noya, Eva G.; Vega, Carlos

    2012-11-01

    We present a local order parameter based on the standard Steinhardt-Ten Wolde approach that is capable both of tracking and of driving homogeneous ice nucleation in simulations of all-atom models of water. We demonstrate that it is capable of forcing the growth of ice nuclei in supercooled liquid water simulated using the TIP4P/2005 model using over-biassed umbrella sampling Monte Carlo simulations. However, even with such an order parameter, the dynamics of ice growth in deeply supercooled liquid water in all-atom models of water are shown to be very slow, and so the computation of free energy landscapes and nucleation rates remains extremely challenging.

  5. Icing Cloud Calibration of the NASA Glenn Icing Research Tunnel

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ide, Robert F.; Oldenburg, John R.

    2001-01-01

    The icing research tunnel at the NASA Glenn Research Center underwent a major rehabilitation in 1999, necessitating recalibration of the icing clouds. This report describes the methods used in the recalibration, including the procedure used to establish a uniform icing cloud and the use of a standard icing blade technique for measurement of liquid water content. The instruments and methods used to perform the droplet size calibration are also described. The liquid water content/droplet size operating envelopes of the icing tunnel are shown for a range of airspeeds and compared to the FAA icing certification criteria. The capabilities of the IRT to produce large droplet icing clouds is also detailed.

  6. "Ice Cubes" in the Center of the Milky Way: Water-ice and Hydrocarbons in the Central Parsec

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Moultaka, J.; Eckart, A.; Mužić, K.

    2015-06-01

    The close environment of the central supermassive black hole of our Galaxy has been studied thoroughly for decades in order to shed light on the behavior of the central regions of galaxies in general and of active galaxies in particular. The Galactic center (GC) has shown a wealth of structures on different scales with a complicated mixture of early- and late-type stars, ionized and molecular gas, dust, and winds. Here we aim to study the distribution of water-ices and hydrocarbons in the central parsec, as well as along the line of sight. This study is made possible thanks to L-band spectroscopy. This spectral band, from 2.8 to 4.2 μm, hosts important signatures of the circumstellar medium and interstellar dense and diffuse media among which deep absorption features are attributed to water-ices and hydrocarbons. We observed the GC in the L band of the ISAAC spectrograph located on the UT1/VLT ESO telescope. By mapping the central half parsec using 27 slit positions, we were able to build the first data cube of the region in this wavelength domain. Thanks to a calibrator spectrum of the foreground extinction in the L band derived in a previous paper, we corrected our data cube for the line-of-sight extinction and validated our calibrator spectrum. The data show that a residual absorption due to water-ices and hydrocarbons is present in the corrected data cube. This suggests that the features are produced in the local environment of the GC, implying very low temperatures well below 80 K. This is in agreement with our finding of local CO ices in the central parsec described in Moultaka et al. Resulting from ESO VLT observations of program ID numbers 71.C-0192A and 077.C-0286A.

  7. Archival processes of the water stable isotope signal in East Antarctic ice cores

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Casado, Mathieu; Landais, Amaelle; Picard, Ghislain; Münch, Thomas; Laepple, Thomas; Stenni, Barbara; Dreossi, Giuliano; Ekaykin, Alexey; Arnaud, Laurent; Genthon, Christophe; Touzeau, Alexandra; Masson-Delmotte, Valerie; Jouzel, Jean

    2018-05-01

    The oldest ice core records are obtained from the East Antarctic Plateau. Water isotopes are key proxies to reconstructing past climatic conditions over the ice sheet and at the evaporation source. The accuracy of climate reconstructions depends on knowledge of all processes affecting water vapour, precipitation and snow isotopic compositions. Fractionation processes are well understood and can be integrated in trajectory-based Rayleigh distillation and isotope-enabled climate models. However, a quantitative understanding of processes potentially altering snow isotopic composition after deposition is still missing. In low-accumulation sites, such as those found in East Antarctica, these poorly constrained processes are likely to play a significant role and limit the interpretability of an ice core's isotopic composition. By combining observations of isotopic composition in vapour, precipitation, surface snow and buried snow from Dome C, a deep ice core site on the East Antarctic Plateau, we found indications of a seasonal impact of metamorphism on the surface snow isotopic signal when compared to the initial precipitation. Particularly in summer, exchanges of water molecules between vapour and snow are driven by the diurnal sublimation-condensation cycles. Overall, we observe in between precipitation events modification of the surface snow isotopic composition. Using high-resolution water isotopic composition profiles from snow pits at five Antarctic sites with different accumulation rates, we identified common patterns which cannot be attributed to the seasonal variability of precipitation. These differences in the precipitation, surface snow and buried snow isotopic composition provide evidence of post-deposition processes affecting ice core records in low-accumulation areas.

  8. Bellingshausen Sea Ice Extent Recorded in an Antarctic Peninsula Ice Core

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Porter, Stacy E.; Parkinson, Claire L.; Mosley-Thompson, Ellen

    2016-01-01

    Annual net accumulation (A(sub n)) from the Bruce Plateau (BP) ice core retrieved from the Antarctic Peninsula exhibits a notable relationship with sea ice extent (SIE) in the Bellingshausen Sea. Over the satellite era, both BP A(sub n) and Bellingshausen SIE are influenced by large-scale climatic factors such as the Amundsen Sea Low, Southern Annular Mode, and Southern Oscillation. In addition to the direct response of BP A(sub n) to Bellingshausen SIE (e.g., more open water as a moisture source), these large-scale climate phenomena also link the BP and the Bellingshausen Sea indirectly such that they exhibit similar responses (e.g., northerly wind anomalies advect warm, moist air to the Antarctic Peninsula and neighboring Bellingshausen Sea, which reduces SIE and increases A(sub n)). Comparison with a time series of fast ice at South Orkney Islands reveals a relationship between BP A(sub n) and sea ice in the northern Weddell Sea that is relatively consistent over the twentieth century, except when it is modulated by atmospheric wave patterns described by the Trans-Polar Index. The trend of increasing accumulation on the Bruce Plateau since approximately 1970 agrees with other climate records and reconstructions in the region and suggests that the current rate of sea ice loss in the Bellingshausen Sea is unrivaled in the twentieth century.

  9. Surfacing behavior and gas release of the physostome sprat (Sprattus sprattus) in ice-free and ice-covered waters.

    PubMed

    Solberg, Ingrid; Kaartvedt, Stein

    2014-01-01

    Upward-facing echosounders that provided continuous, long-term measurements were applied to address the surfacing behavior and gas release of the physostome sprat ( Sprattus sprattus ) throughout an entire winter in a 150-m-deep Norwegian fjord. During ice-free conditions, the sprat surfaced and released gas bubbles at night with an estimated surfacing rate of 3.5 times per fish day -1 . The vertical swimming speeds during surfacing were considerably higher (~10 times) than during diel vertical migrations, especially when returning from the surface, and particularly when the fjord was not ice covered. The sprat released gas a few hours after surfacing, suggesting that the sprat gulped atmospheric air during its excursions to the surface. While the surface activity increased after the fjord became ice covered, the records of gas release decreased sharply. The under-ice fish then displayed a behavior interpreted as "searching for the surface" by repeatedly ascending toward the ice, apparently with limited success of filling the swim bladder. This interpretation was supported by lower acoustic target strength in ice-covered waters. The frequent surfacing behavior demonstrated in this study indicates that gulping of atmospheric air is an important element in the life of sprat. While at least part of the population endured overwintering in the ice-covered habitat, ice covering may constrain those physostome fishes that lack a gas-generating gland in ways that remain to be established.

  10. Identification of Accretion as Grain Growth Mechanism in Astrophysically Relevant Water&ice Dusty Plasma Experiment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Marshall, Ryan S.; Chai, Kil-Byoung; Bellan, Paul M.

    2017-03-01

    The grain growth process in the Caltech water-ice dusty plasma experiment has been studied using a high-speed camera and a long-distance microscope lens. It is observed that (I) the ice grain number density decreases fourfold as the average grain major axis increases from 20 to 80 μm, (II) the major axis length has a log-normal distribution rather than a power-law dependence, and (III) no collisions between ice grains are apparent. The grains have a large negative charge resulting in strong mutual repulsion and this, combined with the fractal character of the ice grains, prevents them from agglomerating. In order for the grain kinetic energy to be sufficiently small to prevent collisions between ice grains, the volumetric packing factor (I.e., ratio of the actual volume to the volume of a circumscribing ellipsoid) of the ice grains must be less than ˜0.1 depending on the exact relative velocity of the grains in question. Thus, it is concluded that direct accretion of water molecules is very likely to dominate the observed ice grain growth.

  11. 21 CFR 1250.86 - Water for making ice.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Water for making ice. 1250.86 Section 1250.86 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) REGULATIONS UNDER CERTAIN OTHER ACTS ADMINISTERED BY THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION INTERSTATE CONVEYANCE SANITATION Sanitation Facilities and Conditions...

  12. Refreeze experiments with water droplets containing different types of ice nuclei interpreted by classical nucleation theory

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kaufmann, Lukas; Marcolli, Claudia; Luo, Beiping; Peter, Thomas

    2017-03-01

    Homogeneous nucleation of ice in supercooled water droplets is a stochastic process. In its classical description, the growth of the ice phase requires the emergence of a critical embryo from random fluctuations of water molecules between the water bulk and ice-like clusters, which is associated with overcoming an energy barrier. For heterogeneous ice nucleation on ice-nucleating surfaces both stochastic and deterministic descriptions are in use. Deterministic (singular) descriptions are often favored because the temperature dependence of ice nucleation on a substrate usually dominates the stochastic time dependence, and the ease of representation facilitates the incorporation in climate models. Conversely, classical nucleation theory (CNT) describes heterogeneous ice nucleation as a stochastic process with a reduced energy barrier for the formation of a critical embryo in the presence of an ice-nucleating surface. The energy reduction is conveniently parameterized in terms of a contact angle α between the ice phase immersed in liquid water and the heterogeneous surface. This study investigates various ice-nucleating agents in immersion mode by subjecting them to repeated freezing cycles to elucidate and discriminate the time and temperature dependences of heterogeneous ice nucleation. Freezing rates determined from such refreeze experiments are presented for Hoggar Mountain dust, birch pollen washing water, Arizona test dust (ATD), and also nonadecanol coatings. For the analysis of the experimental data with CNT, we assumed the same active site to be always responsible for freezing. Three different CNT-based parameterizations were used to describe rate coefficients for heterogeneous ice nucleation as a function of temperature, all leading to very similar results: for Hoggar Mountain dust, ATD, and larger nonadecanol-coated water droplets, the experimentally determined increase in freezing rate with decreasing temperature is too shallow to be described properly by

  13. Ice Generation and the Heat and Mass Transfer Phenomena of Introducing Water to a Cold Bath of Brine.

    PubMed

    Yun, Xiao; Quarini, Giuseppe L

    2017-03-13

    We demonstrate a method for the study of the heat and mass transfer and of the freezing phenomena in a subcooled brine environment. Our experiment showed that, under the proper conditions, ice can be produced when water is introduced to a bath of cold brine. To make ice form, in addition to having the brine and water mix, the rate of heat transfer must bypass that of mass transfer. When water is introduced in the form of tiny droplets to the brine surface, the mode of heat and mass transfer is by diffusion. The buoyancy stops water from mixing with the brine underneath, but as the ice grows thicker, it slows down the rate of heat transfer, making ice more difficult to grow as a result. When water is introduced inside the brine in the form of a flow, a number of factors are found to influence how much ice can form. Brine temperature and concentration, which are the driving forces of heat and mass transfer, respectively, can affect the water-to-ice conversion ratio; lower bath temperatures and brine concentrations encourage more ice to form. The flow rheology, which can directly affect both the heat and mass transfer coefficients, is also a key factor. In addition, the flow rheology changes the area of contact of the flow with the bulk fluid.

  14. The Effect of Seasonal Variability of Atlantic Water on the Arctic Sea Ice Cover

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ivanov, V. V.; Repina, I. A.

    2018-01-01

    Under the influence of global warming, the sea ice in the Arctic Ocean (AO) is expected to reduce with a transition toward a seasonal ice cover by the end of this century. A comparison of climate-model predictions with measurements shows that the actual rate of ice cover decay in the AO is higher than the predicted one. This paper argues that the rapid shrinking of the Arctic summer ice cover is due to its increased seasonality, while seasonal oscillations of the Atlantic origin water temperature create favorable conditions for the formation of negative anomalies in the ice-cover area in winter. The basis for this hypothesis is the fundamental possibility of the activation of positive feedback provided by a specific feature of the seasonal cycle of the inflowing Atlantic origin water and the peaking of temperature in the Nansen Basin in midwinter. The recently accelerated reduction in the summer ice cover in the AO leads to an increased accumulation of heat in the upper ocean layer during the summer season. The extra heat content of the upper ocean layer favors prerequisite conditions for winter thermohaline convection and the transfer of heat from the Atlantic water (AW) layer to the ice cover. This, in turn, contributes to further ice thinning and a decrease in ice concentration, accelerated melting in summer, and a greater accumulation of heat in the ocean by the end of the following summer. An important role is played by the seasonal variability of the temperature of AW, which forms on the border between the North European and Arctic basins. The phase of seasonal oscillation changes while the AW is moving through the Nansen Basin. As a result, the timing of temperature peak shifts from summer to winter, additionally contributing to enhanced ice melting in winter. The formulated theoretical concept is substantiated by a simplified mathematical model and comparison with observations.

  15. Regional melt-pond fraction and albedo of thin Arctic first-year drift ice in late summer

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Divine, D. V.; Granskog, M. A.; Hudson, S. R.; Pedersen, C. A.; Karlsen, T. I.; Divina, S. A.; Renner, A. H. H.; Gerland, S.

    2015-02-01

    The paper presents a case study of the regional (≈150 km) morphological and optical properties of a relatively thin, 70-90 cm modal thickness, first-year Arctic sea ice pack in an advanced stage of melt. The study combines in situ broadband albedo measurements representative of the four main surface types (bare ice, dark melt ponds, bright melt ponds and open water) and images acquired by a helicopter-borne camera system during ice-survey flights. The data were collected during the 8-day ICE12 drift experiment carried out by the Norwegian Polar Institute in the Arctic, north of Svalbard at 82.3° N, from 26 July to 3 August 2012. A set of > 10 000 classified images covering about 28 km2 revealed a homogeneous melt across the study area with melt-pond coverage of ≈ 0.29 and open-water fraction of ≈ 0.11. A decrease in pond fractions observed in the 30 km marginal ice zone (MIZ) occurred in parallel with an increase in open-water coverage. The moving block bootstrap technique applied to sequences of classified sea-ice images and albedo of the four surface types yielded a regional albedo estimate of 0.37 (0.35; 0.40) and regional sea-ice albedo of 0.44 (0.42; 0.46). Random sampling from the set of classified images allowed assessment of the aggregate scale of at least 0.7 km2 for the study area. For the current setup configuration it implies a minimum set of 300 images to process in order to gain adequate statistics on the state of the ice cover. Variance analysis also emphasized the importance of longer series of in situ albedo measurements conducted for each surface type when performing regional upscaling. The uncertainty in the mean estimates of surface type albedo from in situ measurements contributed up to 95% of the variance of the estimated regional albedo, with the remaining variance resulting from the spatial inhomogeneity of sea-ice cover.

  16. Characteristics of elite open-water swimmers.

    PubMed

    VanHeest, Jaci L; Mahoney, Carrie E; Herr, Larry

    2004-05-01

    Open-water swimming (5, 10, and 25 km) has many unique challenges that separate it from other endurance sports, like marathon running and cycling. The characteristics of a successful open-water swimmer are unclear. The purpose of this study was to determine the physical and metabolic characteristics of a group of elite-level open-water swimmers. The open-water swimmers were participating in a 1-week training camp. Anthropometric, metabolic, and blood chemistry assessments were performed on the athletes. The swimmers had a VO(2)peak of 5.51 +/- 0.96 and 5.06 +/- 0.57 ml.kg(-1).min(-1) for males and females, respectively. Their lactate threshold (LT) occurred at a pace equal to 88.75% of peak pace for males and 93.75% for females. These elite open-water swimmers were smaller and lighter than competitive pool swimmers. They possess aerobic metabolic alterations that resulted in enhanced performance in distance swimming. Trainers and coaches should develop dry-land programs that will improve the athlete's muscular endurance. Furthermore, programs should be designed to increase the LT velocity as a percentage of peak swimming velocity.

  17. Ceres: predictions for near-surface water ice stability and implications for plume generating processes

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Titus, Timothy N.

    2015-01-01

    This paper will constrain the possible sources and processes for the formation of recently observed H2O vapor plumes above the surface of the dwarf planet Ceres. Two hypotheses have been proposed: (1) cryovolcanism where the water source is the mantle and the heating source is still unknown or (2) comet-like sublimation where near-surface water ice is vaporized by seasonally increasing solar insolation. We test hypothesis #2, comet-like near-surface sublimation, by using a thermal model to examine the stability of water-ice in the near surface. For a reasonable range of physical parameters (thermal inertia, surface roughness, slopes), we find that water ice is only stable at latitudes higher than ~40-60 degrees. These results indicate that either (a) the physical properties of Ceres are unlike our expectations or (b) an alternative to comet-like sublimation, such as the cryovolcanism hypothesis, must be invoked.

  18. Long-distance swimming by polar bears (Ursus maritimus) of the southern Beaufort Sea during years of extensive open water

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    2014-01-01

    Polar bears (Ursus maritimus Phipps, 1774) depend on sea ice for catching marine mammal prey. Recent sea-ice declines have been linked to reductions in body condition, survival, and population size. Reduced foraging opportunity is hypothesized to be the primary cause of sea-ice-linked declines, but the costs of travel through a deteriorated sea-ice environment also may be a factor. We used movement data from 52 adult female polar bears wearing Global Positioning System (GPS) collars, including some with dependent young, to document long-distance swimming (>50 km) by polar bears in the southern Beaufort and Chukchi seas. During 6 years (2004-2009), we identified 50 long-distance swims by 20 bears. Swim duration and distance ranged from 0.7 to 9.7 days (mean = 3.4 days) and 53.7 to 687.1 km (mean = 154.2 km), respectively. Frequency of swimming appeared to increase over the course of the study. We show that adult female polar bears and their cubs are capable of swimming long distances during periods when extensive areas of open water are present. However, long-distance swimming appears to have higher energetic demands than moving over sea ice. Our observations suggest long-distance swimming is a behavioral response to declining summer sea-ice conditions.

  19. Antifreeze Proteins at the Ice/Water Interface: Three Calculated Discriminating Properties for Orientation of Type I Proteins

    PubMed Central

    Wierzbicki, Andrzej; Dalal, Pranav; Cheatham, Thomas E.; Knickelbein, Jared E.; Haymet, A. D. J.; Madura, Jeffry D.

    2007-01-01

    Antifreeze proteins (AFPs) protect many plants and organisms from freezing in low temperatures. Of the different AFPs, the most studied AFP Type I from winter flounder is used in the current computational studies to gain molecular insight into its adsorption at the ice/water interface. Employing molecular dynamics simulations, we calculate the free energy difference between the hydrophilic and hydrophobic faces of the protein interacting with ice. Furthermore, we identify three properties of Type I “antifreeze” proteins that discriminate among these two orientations of the protein at the ice/water interface. The three properties are: the “surface area” of the protein; a measure of the interaction of the protein with neighboring water molecules as determined by the number of hydrogen bond count, for example; and the side-chain orientation angles of the threonine residues. All three discriminants are consistent with our free energy results, which clearly show that the hydrophilic protein face orientations toward the ice/water interface, as hypothesized from experimental and ice/vacuum simulations, are incorrect and support the hypothesis that the hydrophobic face is oriented toward the ice/water interface. The adsorption free energy is calculated to be 2–3 kJ/mol. PMID:17526572

  20. 0.2 to 10 keV electrons interacting with water ice: Radiolysis, sputtering, and sublimation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Galli, A.; Vorburger, A.; Wurz, P.; Pommerol, A.; Cerubini, R.; Jost, B.; Poch, O.; Tulej, M.; Thomas, N.

    2018-06-01

    We present new laboratory experiments investigating various water ice samples, ranging from thin ice films to porous thick ice layers, that are irradiated with electrons. The molecules leaving the ice are monitored with a pressure gauge and a mass spectrometer. Most particles released from the ice are H2 and O2, the observed ratio of 2:1 is consistent with H2O being radiolysed into H2 + 1/2 O2 upon irradiation. H2O2 is likely a minor contribution of radiolysis, amounting to 0.001 ± 0.001 of the total gas release from the ice sample. Neither the physical properties of the ice, nor the energy, nor the electron impact angle have any obvious effect on the relative abundances of the radiolysis products. The absolute sputtering yield (i.e., the ratio of produced O2 or destroyed H2O per impacting electron) increases with energy until a few 100 eV. For higher energies up to 10 keV the yield remains roughly constant, once the saturation dose of the ice is reached. This indicates that ongoing irradiation eventually releases the radiolysis products from the water ice even for penetration depths of several micrometers.

  1. Wave-induced stress and breaking of sea ice in a coupled hydrodynamic discrete-element wave-ice model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Herman, Agnieszka

    2017-11-01

    In this paper, a coupled sea ice-wave model is developed and used to analyze wave-induced stress and breaking in sea ice for a range of wave and ice conditions. The sea ice module is a discrete-element bonded-particle model, in which ice is represented as cuboid grains floating on the water surface that can be connected to their neighbors by elastic joints. The joints may break if instantaneous stresses acting on them exceed their strength. The wave module is based on an open-source version of the Non-Hydrostatic WAVE model (NHWAVE). The two modules are coupled with proper boundary conditions for pressure and velocity, exchanged at every wave model time step. In the present version, the model operates in two dimensions (one vertical and one horizontal) and is suitable for simulating compact ice in which heave and pitch motion dominates over surge. In a series of simulations with varying sea ice properties and incoming wavelength it is shown that wave-induced stress reaches maximum values at a certain distance from the ice edge. The value of maximum stress depends on both ice properties and characteristics of incoming waves, but, crucially for ice breaking, the location at which the maximum occurs does not change with the incoming wavelength. Consequently, both regular and random (Jonswap spectrum) waves break the ice into floes with almost identical sizes. The width of the zone of broken ice depends on ice strength and wave attenuation rates in the ice.

  2. Water isotopic ratios from a continuously melted ice core sample

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gkinis, V.; Popp, T. J.; Blunier, T.; Bigler, M.; Schüpbach, S.; Johnsen, S. J.

    2011-06-01

    A new technique for on-line high resolution isotopic analysis of liquid water, tailored for ice core studies is presented. We build an interface between an Infra Red Cavity Ring Down Spectrometer (IR-CRDS) and a Continuous Flow Analysis (CFA) system. The system offers the possibility to perform simultaneuous water isotopic analysis of δ18O and δD on a continuous stream of liquid water as generated from a continuously melted ice rod. Injection of sub μl amounts of liquid water is achieved by pumping sample through a fused silica capillary and instantaneously vaporizing it with 100 % efficiency in a home made oven at a temperature of 170 °C. A calibration procedure allows for proper reporting of the data on the VSMOW scale. We apply the necessary corrections based on the assessed performance of the system regarding instrumental drifts and dependance on humidity levels. The melt rates are monitored in order to assign a depth scale to the measured isotopic profiles. Application of spectral methods yields the combined uncertainty of the system at below 0.1 ‰ and 0.5 ‰ for δ18O and δD, respectively. This performance is comparable to that achieved with mass spectrometry. Dispersion of the sample in the transfer lines limits the resolution of the technique. In this work we investigate and assess these dispersion effects. By using an optimal filtering method we show how the measured profiles can be corrected for the smoothing effects resulting from the sample dispersion. Considering the significant advantages the technique offers, i.e. simultaneuous measurement of δ18O and δD, potentially in combination with chemical components that are traditionally measured on CFA systems, notable reduction on analysis time and power consumption, we consider it as an alternative to traditional isotope ratio mass spectrometry with the possibility to be deployed for field ice core studies. We present data acquired in the framework of the NEEM deep ice core drilling project in

  3. Obliquity-paced Pliocene West Antarctic ice sheet oscillations.

    PubMed

    Naish, T; Powell, R; Levy, R; Wilson, G; Scherer, R; Talarico, F; Krissek, L; Niessen, F; Pompilio, M; Wilson, T; Carter, L; DeConto, R; Huybers, P; McKay, R; Pollard, D; Ross, J; Winter, D; Barrett, P; Browne, G; Cody, R; Cowan, E; Crampton, J; Dunbar, G; Dunbar, N; Florindo, F; Gebhardt, C; Graham, I; Hannah, M; Hansaraj, D; Harwood, D; Helling, D; Henrys, S; Hinnov, L; Kuhn, G; Kyle, P; Läufer, A; Maffioli, P; Magens, D; Mandernack, K; McIntosh, W; Millan, C; Morin, R; Ohneiser, C; Paulsen, T; Persico, D; Raine, I; Reed, J; Riesselman, C; Sagnotti, L; Schmitt, D; Sjunneskog, C; Strong, P; Taviani, M; Vogel, S; Wilch, T; Williams, T

    2009-03-19

    Thirty years after oxygen isotope records from microfossils deposited in ocean sediments confirmed the hypothesis that variations in the Earth's orbital geometry control the ice ages, fundamental questions remain over the response of the Antarctic ice sheets to orbital cycles. Furthermore, an understanding of the behaviour of the marine-based West Antarctic ice sheet (WAIS) during the 'warmer-than-present' early-Pliocene epoch ( approximately 5-3 Myr ago) is needed to better constrain the possible range of ice-sheet behaviour in the context of future global warming. Here we present a marine glacial record from the upper 600 m of the AND-1B sediment core recovered from beneath the northwest part of the Ross ice shelf by the ANDRILL programme and demonstrate well-dated, approximately 40-kyr cyclic variations in ice-sheet extent linked to cycles in insolation influenced by changes in the Earth's axial tilt (obliquity) during the Pliocene. Our data provide direct evidence for orbitally induced oscillations in the WAIS, which periodically collapsed, resulting in a switch from grounded ice, or ice shelves, to open waters in the Ross embayment when planetary temperatures were up to approximately 3 degrees C warmer than today and atmospheric CO(2) concentration was as high as approximately 400 p.p.m.v. (refs 5, 6). The evidence is consistent with a new ice-sheet/ice-shelf model that simulates fluctuations in Antarctic ice volume of up to +7 m in equivalent sea level associated with the loss of the WAIS and up to +3 m in equivalent sea level from the East Antarctic ice sheet, in response to ocean-induced melting paced by obliquity. During interglacial times, diatomaceous sediments indicate high surface-water productivity, minimal summer sea ice and air temperatures above freezing, suggesting an additional influence of surface melt under conditions of elevated CO(2).

  4. Genomes of Novel Microbial Lineages Assembled from the Sub-Ice Waters of Lake Baikal

    PubMed Central

    Cabello-Yeves, Pedro J.; Zemskaya, Tamara I.; Rosselli, Riccardo; Coutinho, Felipe H.; Zakharenko, Alexandra S.; Blinov, Vadim V.

    2017-01-01

    water column of Lake Baikal, the largest and deepest freshwater body on Earth. This lake is frozen from January to May, which generates conditions that include an inverted temperature gradient (colder up), decrease in light penetration due to ice, and, especially, snow cover, and oligotrophic conditions more similar to the open-ocean and high-altitude lakes than to other freshwater or brackish systems. As could be expected, most reconstructed genomes are novel lineages distantly related to others in cold environments, like the Baltic Sea and other freshwater lakes. Among them, there was a broad set of streamlined microbes with small genomes/intergenic spacers, including a new nonmarine Pelagibacter-like (subtype I/II) genome. PMID:29079621

  5. Genomes of Novel Microbial Lineages Assembled from the Sub-Ice Waters of Lake Baikal.

    PubMed

    Cabello-Yeves, Pedro J; Zemskaya, Tamara I; Rosselli, Riccardo; Coutinho, Felipe H; Zakharenko, Alexandra S; Blinov, Vadim V; Rodriguez-Valera, Francisco

    2018-01-01

    We present a metagenomic study of Lake Baikal (East Siberia). Two samples obtained from the water column under the ice cover (5 and 20 m deep) in March 2016 have been deep sequenced and the reads assembled to generate metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) that are representative of the microbes living in this special environment. Compared with freshwater bodies studied around the world, Lake Baikal had an unusually high fraction of Verrucomicrobia Other groups, such as Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria , were in proportions similar to those found in other lakes. The genomes (and probably cells) tended to be small, presumably reflecting the extremely oligotrophic and cold prevalent conditions. Baikal microbes are novel lineages recruiting very little from other water bodies and are distantly related to other freshwater microbes. Despite their novelty, they showed the closest relationship to genomes discovered by similar approaches from other freshwater lakes and reservoirs. Some of them were particularly similar to MAGs from the Baltic Sea, which, although it is brackish, connected to the ocean, and much more eutrophic, has similar climatological conditions. Many of the microbes contained rhodopsin genes, indicating that, in spite of the decreased light penetration allowed by the thick ice/snow cover, photoheterotrophy could be widespread in the water column, either because enough light penetrates or because the microbes are already adapted to the summer ice-less conditions. We have found a freshwater SAR11 subtype I/II representative showing striking synteny with Pelagibacter ubique strains, as well as a phage infecting the widespread freshwater bacterium Polynucleobacter IMPORTANCE Despite the increasing number of metagenomic studies on different freshwater bodies, there is still a missing component in oligotrophic cold lakes suffering from long seasonal frozen cycles. Here, we describe microbial genomes from metagenomic assemblies that appear in the upper water

  6. Vapor-deposited water and nitric acid ices

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Leu, Ming-Taun; Keyser, Leon F.

    Ices formed by vapor deposition have been the subject of numerous laboratory investigations in connection with snow and glaciers on the ground, ice clouds in the terrestrial atmosphere, surfaces of other planets and their satellites, and the interstellar medium. In this review we will focus on these specific subjects: (1) heterogeneous chemistry on the surfaces of polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs) and (2) surfaces of satellites of the outer planets in our solar system. Stratospheric ozone provides a protective shield for mankind and the global biosphere from harmful ultraviolet solar radiation. In past decades, theoretical atmospheric models for the calculation of ozone balance frequently used only homogeneous gas-phase reactions in their studies. Since the discovery of the Antarctic ozone hole in 1985, however, it has been demonstrated that knowledge of heterogeneous reactions on the surface of PSCs is definitely needed to understand this significant natural event due to the anthropogenic emission of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). We will briefly discuss the experimental techniques for the investigation of heterogeneous chemistry on ice surfaces carried out in our laboratories. The experimental apparatus used include: several flow-tube reactors, an electron-impact ionization mass spectrometer, a Fourier transform infrared spectrometer, a BET adsorption apparatus, and a scanning environmental electron microscope. The adsorption experiments and electron microscopic work have demonstrated that the vapor-deposited ices are highly porous. Therefore, it is necessary to develop theoretical models for the elucidation of the uptake and reactivity of trace gases in porous ice substrates. Several measurements of uptake and reaction probabilities of these trace gases on water ices and nitric acid ices have been performed under ambient conditions in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere, mainly in the temperature range 180-220 K. The trace gases of atmospheric importance

  7. Photochemistry of Coronene in Cosmic Water Ice Analogs at Different Concentrations

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    De Barros, A. L. F.; Mattioda, A. L.; Ricca, A.

    This work presents the photochemistry of ultraviolet (UV) irradiated coronene in water ices at 15 K studied using mid-infrared Fourier transform (FTIR) spectroscopy for C{sub 24}H{sub 12}:H{sub 2}O at concentrations of (1:50), (1:150), (1:200), (1:300), and (1:400). Previous UV irradiation studies of anthracene:H{sub 2}O, pyrene:H{sub 2}O, and benzo[ghi]perylene:H{sub 2}O ices at 15 K have shown that aromatic alcohols and ketones, as well as CO{sub 2} and H{sub 2}CO, are formed at very low temperatures. Likewise, here, in addition to the coronene cation, hydroxy-, keto-, and protonated coronene (coronene H{sup +}) are formed. The rate constants for the decay of neutralmore » coronene and for the formation of photoproducts have been derived. It is shown that Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their UV induced PAH:H{sub 2}O photoproducts have mid-infrared spectroscopic signatures in the 5–8 μ m region that can contribute to the interstellar ice components described by Boogert et al. as C1–C5. Our results suggest that oxygenated and hydrogenated PAHs could be in UV-irradiated regions of the interstellar medium where water-rich ices are important.« less

  8. Water isotopic ratios from a continuously melted ice core sample

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gkinis, V.; Popp, T. J.; Blunier, T.; Bigler, M.; Schüpbach, S.; Kettner, E.; Johnsen, S. J.

    2011-11-01

    A new technique for on-line high resolution isotopic analysis of liquid water, tailored for ice core studies is presented. We built an interface between a Wavelength Scanned Cavity Ring Down Spectrometer (WS-CRDS) purchased from Picarro Inc. and a Continuous Flow Analysis (CFA) system. The system offers the possibility to perform simultaneuous water isotopic analysis of δ18O and δD on a continuous stream of liquid water as generated from a continuously melted ice rod. Injection of sub μl amounts of liquid water is achieved by pumping sample through a fused silica capillary and instantaneously vaporizing it with 100% efficiency in a~home made oven at a temperature of 170 °C. A calibration procedure allows for proper reporting of the data on the VSMOW-SLAP scale. We apply the necessary corrections based on the assessed performance of the system regarding instrumental drifts and dependance on the water concentration in the optical cavity. The melt rates are monitored in order to assign a depth scale to the measured isotopic profiles. Application of spectral methods yields the combined uncertainty of the system at below 0.1‰ and 0.5‰ for δ18O and δD, respectively. This performance is comparable to that achieved with mass spectrometry. Dispersion of the sample in the transfer lines limits the temporal resolution of the technique. In this work we investigate and assess these dispersion effects. By using an optimal filtering method we show how the measured profiles can be corrected for the smoothing effects resulting from the sample dispersion. Considering the significant advantages the technique offers, i.e. simultaneuous measurement of δ18O and δD, potentially in combination with chemical components that are traditionally measured on CFA systems, notable reduction on analysis time and power consumption, we consider it as an alternative to traditional isotope ratio mass spectrometry with the possibility to be deployed for field ice core studies. We present

  9. FU Orionis outbursts, preferential recondensation of water ice, and the formation of giant planets

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hubbard, Alexander

    2017-02-01

    Ices, including water ice, prefer to recondense on to preexisting nuclei rather than spontaneously forming grains from a cloud of vapour. Interestingly, different potential recondensation nuclei have very different propensities to actually nucleate water ice at the temperatures associated with freeze-out in protoplanetary discs. Therefore, if a region in a disc is warmed and then recooled, water vapour should not be expected to refreeze evenly on to all available grains. Instead, it will preferentially recondense on to the most favorable grains. When the recooling is slow enough, only the most favorable grains will nucleate ice, allowing them to recondense thick ice mantles. We quantify the conditions for preferential recondensation to rapidly create pebble-sized grains in protoplanetary discs and show that FU Orionis type outbursts have the appropriate cooling rates to drive pebble creation in a band about 5 au wide outside of the quiescent frost line from approximately Jupiter's orbit to Saturn's (about -10 au). Those pebbles could be of the appropriate size to proceed to planetesimal formation via the Streaming Instability, or to contribute to the growth of planetesimals through pebble accretion. We suggest that this phenomenon contributed to the formation of the gas giants in our own Solar system.

  10. On the Formation of Interstellar Water Ice: Constraints from a Search for Hydrogen Peroxide Ice in Molecular Clouds

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Smith, R. G.; Charnely, S. B.; Pendleton, Y. J.; Wright, C. M.; Maldoni, M. M.; Robinson, G.

    2011-01-01

    Recent surface chemistry experiments have shown that the hydrogenation of molecular oxygen on interstellar dust grains is a plausible formation mechanism, via hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), for the production of water (H2O) ice mantles in the dense interstellar medium. Theoretical chemistry models also predict the formation of a significant abundance of H2O2 ice in grain mantles by this route. At their upper limits, the predicted and experimental abundances are sufficiently high that H2O2 should be detectable in molecular cloud ice spectra. To investigate this further, laboratory spectra have been obtained for H2O2/H2O ice films between 2.5 and 200 micron, from 10 to 180 K, containing 3%, 30%, and 97% H2O2 ice. Integrated absorbances for all the absorption features in low-temperature H2O2 ice have been derived from these spectra. For identifying H2O2 ice, the key results are the presence of unique features near 3.5, 7.0, and 11.3 micron. Comparing the laboratory spectra with the spectra of a group of 24 protostars and field stars, all of which have strong H2O ice absorption bands, no absorption features are found that can definitely be identified with H2O2 ice. In the absence of definite H2O2 features, the H2O2 abundance is constrained by its possible contribution to the weak absorption feature near 3.47 micron found on the long-wavelength wing of the 3 micron H2O ice band. This gives an average upper limit for H2O2, as a percentage of H2O, of 9% +/- 4%. This is a strong constraint on parameters for surface chemistry experiments and dense cloud chemistry models.

  11. Far-infrared spectral studies of phase changes in water ice induced by proton irradiation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Moore, Marla H.; Hudson, Reggie L.

    1992-01-01

    Changes in the FIR spectrum of crystalline and amorphous water ice as a function of temperature are reported. The dramatic differences between the spectra of these ices in the FIR are used to examine the effect of proton irradiation on the stability of the crystalline and amorphous ice phases from 13 to 77 K. In particular, the spectra near 13 K show interconversion between the amorphous and crystalline ice phases beginning at doses near 2 eV/molecule and continuing cyclically with increased dose. The results are used to estimate the stability of irradiated ices in astronomical environments.

  12. Rolling the dice on the ice; New modes for underway data acquisition in the Arctic Ocean

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Coakley, B.; Dove, D.

    2012-12-01

    Exploration of the Arctic Ocean has always depended on the sea ice. It has been a platform supporting drifting ice stations and an obstacle to be over come by force (icebreakers) or finesse (US Navy fast attack submarines). Reduced seasonal sea ice cover has made it possible to work more freely in the peripheral Arctic Ocean, opening relatively unknown regions to scientific exploration and study. In September 2011, the RV Marcus G. Langseth set sail from Dutch Harbor, Alaska bound through Bering Strait for the Arctic Ocean. This was the first Arctic Ocean trip for MGG data acquisition by a US academic research vessel since 1994, when the RV Maurice Ewing collected a 2-D MCS profile across the Bering Shelf, through the Strait and along the Beaufort Shelf, stopping near Barrow, Alaska. RV Langseth arrived on the mid-Chukchi shelf and streamed gear just south of the "Crackerjack" well, drilled by Shell Exploration in the late eighties. The ship sailed north, crossing the "Popcorn" well and then set a course to the NW, setting the baseline for the survey parallel to the Beaufort Shelf edge. Sailing through almost entirely ice-free waters, approximately 5300 km of multi-channel seismic reflection data were acquired on a NW-SE oriented grid, which straddled the transition from Chukchi Shelf to the Chukchi Borderland. It would not have been possible for Langseth, which is not ice reinforced, to acquire these data prior to 2007. The dramatic expansion of late Summer open water in the western Arctic Ocean made it possible to use this ship effectively across a broad swath of the shelf and the periphery of the deep central basin. While the survey region was almost entirely ice free during this cruise, which straddled the ice minimum for 2011, it was not possible to predict this a priori, despite expectations set by the previous five years of ice edge retreat. For this reason, the Canadian Ice Service was engaged to provide interpreted ice imagery, multiple times per day

  13. Assessing the Impact of Sublimation on the Stable Water Isotope Signal of Surface Ice

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dennis, D. P.; Ehrenfeucht, S.; Marchant, D. R.

    2017-12-01

    Sublimation is often a significant, if not the dominant, mechanism for ablation in polar and high elevation glacial systems. Previous field studies on firn and ice have suggested that sublimation can enrich the stable water isotope (δD and δ18O) signatures of these exposed materials. Several additional studies have attempted to replicate this effect through laboratory experiments. However, neither the magnitude of alteration caused by sublimation nor the maximum depth at which ice is affected are well-constrained. The effect of sublimation-induced alteration on the original meteoric signal relative to other post-depositional processes is additionally unknown. Here, we present the results of an experimental study on the effect of sublimation on stable water isotope ratios in surface ice. Using high-resolution data, we attempt to assess the suitability of δD and δ18O in near-surface and exposed ice for use as paleoclimate proxies. This type of analysis is particularly useful for future studies of ice from hyper-arid polar regions like the Antarctic McMurdo Dry Valleys, and may be extended to icy planetary bodies, including surface ice on Mars.

  14. Methane excess in Arctic surface water-triggered by sea ice formation and melting.

    PubMed

    Damm, E; Rudels, B; Schauer, U; Mau, S; Dieckmann, G

    2015-11-10

    Arctic amplification of global warming has led to increased summer sea ice retreat, which influences gas exchange between the Arctic Ocean and the atmosphere where sea ice previously acted as a physical barrier. Indeed, recently observed enhanced atmospheric methane concentrations in Arctic regions with fractional sea-ice cover point to unexpected feedbacks in cycling of methane. We report on methane excess in sea ice-influenced water masses in the interior Arctic Ocean and provide evidence that sea ice is a potential source. We show that methane release from sea ice into the ocean occurs via brine drainage during freezing and melting i.e. in winter and spring. In summer under a fractional sea ice cover, reduced turbulence restricts gas transfer, then seawater acts as buffer in which methane remains entrained. However, in autumn and winter surface convection initiates pronounced efflux of methane from the ice covered ocean to the atmosphere. Our results demonstrate that sea ice-sourced methane cycles seasonally between sea ice, sea-ice-influenced seawater and the atmosphere, while the deeper ocean remains decoupled. Freshening due to summer sea ice retreat will enhance this decoupling, which restricts the capacity of the deeper Arctic Ocean to act as a sink for this greenhouse gas.

  15. Shock Melting of Permafrost on Mars: Water Ice Multiphase Equation of State for Numerical Modeling and Its Testing

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ivanov, B. A.

    2005-01-01

    The presence of water/ice/brine in upper layers of Martian crust affects many processes of impact cratering. Modeling of these effects promises better understanding of Martian cratering records. We present here the new ANEOS-based multiphase equation of state for water/ice constructed for usage in hydrocodes and first numerical experiments on permafrost shock melting. Preliminary results show that due to multiple shock compression of ice inclusions in rocks the entropy jump in shocked ice is smaller than in pure ice for the same shock pressure. Hence previous estimates of ice melting during impact cratering on Mars should be re-evaluated. Additional information is included in the original extended abstract.

  16. Analysis of the Effect of Water Activity on Ice Formation Using a New Theory of Nucleation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Barahona, Donifan

    2013-01-01

    In this work a new theory of nucleation is developed and used to investigate the effect of water activity on the formation of ice within super-cooled droplets. The new theory is based on a novel concept where the interface is assumed to be made of liquid molecules trapped by the solid matrix. Using this concept new expressions are developed for the critical ice germ size and the nucleation work, with explicit dependencies on temperature and water activity. However unlike previous approaches, the new theory does not depend on the interfacial tension between liquid and ice. Comparison against experimental results shows that the new theory is able to reproduce the observed effect of water activity on nucleation rate and freezing temperature. It allows for the first time a theoretical derivation of the constant shift in water activity between melting and nucleation. The new theory offers a consistent thermodynamic view of ice nucleation, simple enough to be applied in atmospheric models of cloud formation.

  17. New measurements on water ice photodesorption and product formation under ultraviolet irradiation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cruz-Diaz, Gustavo A.; Martín-Doménech, Rafael; Moreno, Elena; Muñoz Caro, Guillermo M.; Chen, Yu-Jung

    2018-03-01

    The photodesorption of icy grain mantles has been claimed to be responsible for the abundance of gas-phase molecules towards cold regions. Being water a ubiquitous molecule, it is crucial to understand its role in photochemistry and its behaviour under an ultraviolet field. We report new measurements on the ultraviolet (UV) photodesorption of water ice and its H2, OH, and O2 photoproducts using a calibrated quadrupole mass spectrometer. Solid water was deposited under ultra-high-vacuum conditions and then UV-irradiated at various temperatures starting from 8 K with a microwave discharged hydrogen lamp. Deuterated water was used for confirmation of the results. We found a photodesorption yield of 1.3 × 10-3 molecules per incident photon for water and 0.7 × 10-3 molecules per incident photon for deuterated water at the lowest irradiation temperature, 8 K. The photodesorption yield per absorbed photon is given and comparison with astrophysical scenarios, where water ice photodesorption could account for the presence of gas-phase water towards cold regions in the absence of a thermal desorption process, is addressed.

  18. Experimental evidence of site specific preferential processing of either ice algae or phytoplankton by benthic macroinfauna in Lancaster Sound and North Water Polynyas, Canada

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mäkelä, Anni; Witte, Ursula; Archambault, Philippe

    2016-04-01

    Rapid warming is dramatically reducing the extent and thickness of summer sea ice of the Arctic Ocean, changing both the quantity and type of marine primary production as the longer open water period favours phytoplankton growth and reduces ice algal production. The benthic ecosystem is dependent on this sinking organic matter for source of energy, and ice algae is thought to be a superior quality food source due to higher essential fatty acid content. The resilience of the benthos to changing quality and quantity of food was investigated through sediment incubation experiments in the summer 2013 in two highly productive Arctic polynyas in the North Water and Lancaster Sound, Canada. The pathways of organic matter processing and contribution of different organisms to these processes was assessed through 13C and 15N isotope assimilation into macroinfaunal tissues. In North Water Polynya, the total and biomass specific uptake of ice algal derived C and N was higher than the uptake of phytoplankton, whereas an opposite trend was observed in Lancaster Sound. Polychaetes, especially individuals of families Sabellidae and Spionidae, unselectively ingested both algal types and were significant in the overall organic matter processing at both sites. Feeding preference was observed in crustaceans, which preferentially fed on ice algae at Lancaster Sound, but preferred phytoplankton in North Water Polynya. Bivalves also had a significant role in the organic matter processing overall, but only showed preferential feeding on phytoplankton at Lancaster Sound polynya. Overall the filter feeders and surface deposit feeders occupying lowest trophic levels were responsible for majority of the processing of both algal types. The results provide direct evidence of preferential resource utilisation by benthic macrofauna and highlight spatial differences in the processes. This helps to predict future patterns of nutrient cycling in Arctic sediments, with implications to benthic

  19. Experimental Investigation of the Resistance Performance and Heave and Pitch Motions of Ice-Going Container Ship Under Pack Ice Conditions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Guo, Chun-yu; Xie, Chang; Zhang, Jin-zhao; Wang, Shuai; Zhao, Da-gang

    2018-04-01

    In order to analyze the ice-going ship's performance under the pack ice conditions, synthetic ice was introduced into a towing tank. A barrier using floating cylinder in the towing tank was designed to carry out the resistance experiment. The test results indicated that the encountering frequency between the ship model and the pack ice shifts towards a high-velocity point as the concentration of the pack ice increases, and this encountering frequency creates an unstable region of the resistance, and the unstable region shifts to the higher speed with the increasing concentration. The results also showed that for the same speed points, the ratio of the pack ice resistance to the open water resistance increases with the increasing concentration, and for the same concentrations, this ratio decreases as the speed increases. Motion characteristics showed that the mean value of the heave motion increases as the speed increases, and the pitch motion tends to increase with the increasing speed. In addition, the total resistance of the fullscale was predicted.

  20. An Investigation of the Correlation of Water-Ice and Dust Retrievals Via the MGS TES Data Set

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Qu, Z.; Tamppari, L. K.; Smith, M. D.; Bass, Deborah; Hale, A. S.

    2004-01-01

    Water-ice in the Martian atmosphere was first identified in the Mariner 9 Infrared Interferometer Spectrometer (IRIS) spectra. The Viking Imaging Subsystem (VIS) instruments aboard the Viking orbiter also observed water-ice clouds and hazes in the Martian atmosphere. The MGS TES instrument is an infrared inferometer/spectrometer which covers the spectral range 6-50 micron with a selectable sampling resolution of either 5 or 10 per cm. Using the relatively independent and distinct spectral signatures for dust and water-ice, these two retrieved quantities have been retrieved simultaneously. Although the interrelations among the two quantities have been analyzed by Smith et al. and the retrievals are thought to be robust, understanding the impact of each quantity on the other during their retrievals as well as the impact from the surface for retrievals is important for correctly interpreting the science, and therefore requires close examination. An understanding of the correlation or a-correlation between dust and water-ice would aid in understanding the physical processes responsible for the transport of aerosols in the Martian atmosphere. In this presentation, we present an investigation of the correlation between water-ice and dust in the MGS TES data set.

  1. Regional variations in the stability and diffusion of water-ice in the Martian regolith

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mellon, Michael T.; Jakosky, Bruce M.

    1992-01-01

    Geologic evidence suggests subsurface water-ice has played an important role in the formation of Martian landforms. Forms of mass-wasting such as debris aprons and flow patterns on valley floors suggest creep deformation of ice-laden soil, while thermokarst and chaotic terrain suggest once extensive deposits of ground ice that were later removed. The global distribution of ice-related morphology was mapped. The mapping showed regional variation, in both latitude and longitude, in the distribution of debris aprons, concentric fill craters, and 'softened' crater profiles.

  2. Hydrogen isotope exchanges between water and methanol in interstellar ices

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Faure, A.; Faure, M.; Theulé, P.; Quirico, E.; Schmitt, B.

    2015-12-01

    The deuterium fractionation of gas-phase molecules in hot cores is believed to reflect the composition of interstellar ices. The deuteration of methanol is a major puzzle, however, because the isotopologue ratio [CH2DOH]/[CH3OD], which is predicted to be equal to 3 by standard grain chemistry models, is much larger (~20) in low-mass hot corinos and significantly lower (~1) in high-mass hot cores. This dichotomy in methanol deuteration between low-mass and massive protostars is currently not understood. In this study, we report a simplified rate equation model of the deuterium chemistry occurring in the icy mantles of interstellar grains. We apply this model to the chemistry of hot corinos and hot cores, with IRAS 16293-2422 and the Orion KL Compact Ridge as prototypes, respectively. The chemistry is based on a statistical initial deuteration at low temperature followed by a warm-up phase during which thermal hydrogen/deuterium (H/D) exchanges occur between water and methanol. The exchange kinetics is incorporated using laboratory data. The [CH2DOH]/[CH3OD] ratio is found to scale inversely with the D/H ratio of water, owing to the H/D exchange equilibrium between the hydroxyl (-OH) functional groups of methanol and water. Our model is able to reproduce the observed [CH2DOH]/[CH3OD] ratios provided that the primitive fractionation of water ice [HDO]/[H2O] is ~2% in IRAS 16293-2422 and ~0.6% in Orion KL. We conclude that the molecular D/H ratios measured in hot cores may not be representative of the original mantles because molecules with exchangeable deuterium atoms can equilibrate with water ice during the warm-up phase.

  3. The minimal ice water caloric test compared with established vestibular caloric test procedures.

    PubMed

    Schmäl, Frank; Lübben, Björn; Weiberg, Kerstin; Stoll, Wolfgang

    2005-01-01

    Caloric testing of the vestibular labyrinth is usually performed by classical caloric test procedures (CCTP) using water warmed to 30 degrees C and 44 degrees C. Ice water irrigation (4 degrees C) is usually not performed, although it might be useful as a bedside test. To verify the validity of the Minimal Ice Water Caloric Test (MIWCT), comparative video-oculographic investigations were performed in 22 healthy subjects using ice water (0.5 ml, 1.0 ml, 2 ml), CCTP, and cold air (27 degrees C). Frequency, amplitude, slow phase velocity (SPV), the onset, and the duration of nystagmus were documented. After addition of three ice cubes, the temperature of conventional tap water (16 degrees C) fell within 13 min to 4 degrees C. In pessimum position the subjects demonstrated no nystagmus response. Compared to CCTP, MIWCT was associated with a significantly later onset of nystagmus and a significant prolongation of the nystagmus reaction. In contrast to air stimulation (27 degrees C), a significant Spearman's correlation was noted between MIWCT (1 and 2 ml) and established CCTP in respect of essential nystagmus parameters (frequency, amplitude and SPV). Furthermore, MIWCT (0.5 and 1 ml) showed a higher sensitivity and specificity with regard to the detection of canal paresis based on Jongkees' formula compared to stimulation with air 27 degrees C. Thus, MIWCT appears to be a suitable procedure for bedside investigation of vestibular function outside the vestibular laboratory, e.g. in a hospital ward, where bedridden patients with vertigo occasionally require vestibular testing.

  4. Evaporation of ice in planetary atmospheres - Ice-covered rivers on Mars

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wallace, D.; Sagan, C.

    1979-01-01

    The existence of ice covered rivers on Mars is considered. It is noted that the evaporation rate of water ice on the surface of a planet with an atmosphere involves an equilibrium between solar heating and radiative and evaporative cooling of the ice layer. It is determined that even with a mean Martian insolation rate above the ice of approximately 10 to the -8th g per sq cm/sec, a flowing channel of liquid water will be covered by ice which evaporates sufficiently slowly that the water below can flow for hundreds of kilometers even with modest discharges. Evaporation rates are calculated for a range of frictional velocities, atmospheric pressures, and insolations and it is suggested that some subset of observed Martian channels may have formed as ice-choked rivers. Finally, the exobiological implications of ice covered channels or lakes on Mars are discussed.

  5. Aircraft and satellite passive microwave observations of the Bering Sea ice cover during MIZEX West

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cavalieri, D. J.; Gloersen, P.; Wilheit, T. T., Jr.

    1986-01-01

    Passive microwave measurements of the Bering Sea were made with the NASA CV-990 airborne laboratory during February. Microwave data were obtained with imaging and dual-polarized, fixed-beam radiometers in a range of frequencies from 10 to 183 GHz. The high resolution imagery at 92 GHz provides a particularly good description of the marginal ice zone delineating regions of open water, ice compactness, and ice-edge structure. Analysis of the fixed-beam data shows that spectral differences increase with a decrease in ice thickness. Polarization at 18 and 37 GHz distinguishes among new, young, and first-year ice types.

  6. Optimal Electromagnetic (EM) Geophysical Techniques to Map the Concentration of Subsurface Ice and Adsorbed Water on Mars and the Moon

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stillman, D. E.; Grimm, R. E.

    2013-12-01

    Water ice is ubiquitous in our Solar System and is a probable target for planetary exploration. Mapping the lateral and vertical concentration of subsurface ice from or near the surface could determine the origin of lunar and martian ice and quantify a much-needed resource for human exploration. Determining subsurface ice concentration on Earth is not trivial and has been attempted previously with electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), ground penetrating radar (GPR), airborne EM (AEM), and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). These EM geophysical techniques do not actually detect ice, but rather the absence of unfrozen water. This causes a non-unique interpretation of frozen and dry subsurface sediments. This works well in the arctic because most locations are not dry. However, for planetary exploration, liquid water is exceedingly rare and subsurface mapping must discriminate between an ice-rich and a dry subsurface. Luckily, nature has provided a unique electrical signature of ice: its dielectric relaxation. The dielectric relaxation of ice creates a temperature and frequency dependence of the electrical properties and varies the relative dielectric permittivity from ~3.1 at radar frequencies to >100 at low frequencies. On Mars, sediments smaller than silt size can hold enough adsorbed unfrozen water to complicate the measurement. This is because the presence of absorbed water also creates frequency-dependent electrical properties. The dielectric relaxation of adsorbed water and ice can be separated as they have different shapes and frequency ranges as long as a spectrum spanning the two relaxations is measured. The volume concentration of ice and adsorbed water is a function of the strength of their relaxations. Therefore, we suggest that capacitively-coupled dielectric spectroscopy (a.k.a. spectral induced polarization or complex resistivity) can detect the concentration of both ice and adsorbed water in the subsurface. To prove this concept we have collected

  7. Sea Spray and Icing in the Emerging Open Water of the Arctic Ocean

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2013-06-17

    can create copious amounts of sea spray. We anticipate that structures placed in shallow water— wind turbines or drilling rigs, for instance— will...anticipate that structures placed in shallow water— wind turbines or drilling rigs, for instance—will, therefore, experience more episodes of freezing...concentrations of wind -generated sea spray and the resulting spray icing on offshore structures, such as wind turbines and exploration, drilling, and production

  8. Polar bears and sea ice habitat change

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Durner, George M.; Atwood, Todd C.; Butterworth, Andy

    2017-01-01

    The polar bear (Ursus maritimus) is an obligate apex predator of Arctic sea ice and as such can be affected by climate warming-induced changes in the extent and composition of pack ice and its impacts on their seal prey. Sea ice declines have negatively impacted some polar bear subpopulations through reduced energy input because of loss of hunting habitats, higher energy costs due to greater ice drift, ice fracturing and open water, and ultimately greater challenges to recruit young. Projections made from the output of global climate models suggest that polar bears in peripheral Arctic and sub-Arctic seas will be reduced in numbers or become extirpated by the end of the twenty-first century if the rate of climate warming continues on its present trajectory. The same projections also suggest that polar bears may persist in the high-latitude Arctic where heavy multiyear sea ice that has been typical in that region is being replaced by thinner annual ice. Underlying physical and biological oceanography provides clues as to why polar bear in some regions are negatively impacted, while bears in other regions have shown no apparent changes. However, continued declines in sea ice will eventually challenge the survival of polar bears and efforts to conserve them in all regions of the Arctic.

  9. Material Excavated by a Fresh Impact and Identified as Water Ice

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2009-09-24

    The Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars, an instrument on NASA Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, obtained information confirming material excavated by a fresh impact and Identified as water ice.

  10. Effect of en-glacial water on ice sheet temperatures in a warming climate - a model approach

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Phillips, T. P.; Rajaram, H.; Steffen, K.

    2009-12-01

    Each summer, significant amount of melt is generated in the ablation zones of large glaciers and ice sheets. This melt does not run off on the surface of the glacier or ice sheet. In fact a significant fraction enters the glacier and flows through en-glacial and sub-glacial hydrologic systems. Correspondingly, the en-glacial and sub-glacial hydrologic systems are brought to a temperature close to the pressure melting point of ice. The thermal influence of these hydrologic processes is seldom incorporated in heat transfer models for glaciers and ice sheets. In a warming climate, as melt water generation is amplified, en-glacial and sub-glacial hydrologic processes can influence the thermal dynamics of an ice sheet significantly, a feedback which is missed in current models. Although the role of refreezing melt water in the firn of the accumulation zone is often accounted for to explain warmer near-surface temperatures, the role of melt water flow within a glacier is not considered in large ice sheet models. We propose a simple parameterization of the influence of en-glacial and sub-glacial hydrology on the thermal dynamics of ice sheets, in the form of a dual-column model. Our model basically modifies the classical Budd column model for temperature variations in ice sheets by introducing an interaction with an en-glacial column, where the temperature is brought to the melting point during the melt season, and winter-time refreezing is influenced by latent heat effects associated with water retained within the en-glacial and sub-glacial systems. A cryo-hydraulic heat exchange coefficient ς is defined, as a parameter that quantifies this interaction. The parameter ς is related to k/R^2, where R is the characteristic spacing between en-glacial passages. The general behavior of the dual-column model is influenced by the competition between cooling by horizontal advection and warming by cryo-hydraulic exchange. We present a dimensionless parameter to quantify this

  11. Comparison of carbon monoxide levels during heating of ice and water to boiling point with a camping stove.

    PubMed

    Leigh-Smith, Simon; Watt, Ian; McFadyen, Angus; Grant, Stan

    2004-01-01

    To determine whether using a camping stove to bring a pan of ice to boiling point produces higher carbon monoxide (CO) concentration than would bringing a pan of water to boiling point. The hypothesis was that ice would cause greater CO concentration because of its greater flame-cooling effect and, consequently, more incomplete combustion. This was a randomized, prospective observational study. After an initial pilot study, CO concentration was monitored during 10 trials for each of ice and water. A partially ventilated 200-L cardboard box model was developed and then used inside a chamber at -6 degrees C. Ice temperature and volume, water temperature and volume, pan size, and flame characteristics were all standardized. Temperature of the heated medium was monitored to determine time to boiling point. Carbon monoxide concentration was monitored every 30 seconds for the first 3 minutes, then every minute until the end of each 10-minute trial. There was no significant difference (P > .05) in CO production levels between ice and water. Each achieved a similar mean plateau level of approximately 400 ppm CO concentration with a similar rate of rise. However, significantly higher (P = .014) CO concentration occurred at 4 and 5 minutes when the flame underwent a yellow flare; this occurred only on 3 occasions when ice was the medium. There were no significant differences for CO production between bringing a pan of ice or water to boiling point. In a small number of ice trials, the presence of a yellow flame resulted in high CO concentration. Yellow flares might occur more often with ice or snow melting, but this has not been proven.

  12. Operationally Monitoring Sea Ice at the Canadian Ice Service

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    de Abreu, R.; Flett, D.; Carrieres, T.; Falkingham, J.

    2004-05-01

    The Canadian Ice Service (CIS) of the Meteorological Service of Canada promotes safe and efficient maritime operations and protects Canada's environment by providing reliable and timely information about ice and iceberg conditions in Canadian waters. Daily and seasonal charts describing the extent, type and concentration of sea ice and icebergs are provided to support navigation and other activities (e.g. oil and gas) in coastal waters. The CIS relies on a suite of spaceborne visible, infrared and microwave sensors to operationally monitor ice conditions in Canadian coastal and inland waterways. These efforts are complemented by operational sea ice models that are customized and run at the CIS. The archive of these data represent a 35 year archive of ice conditions and have proven to be a valuable dataset for historical sea ice analysis. This presentation will describe the daily integration of remote sensing observations and modelled ice conditions used to produce ice and iceberg products. A review of the decadal evolution of this process will be presented, as well as a glimpse into the future of ice and iceberg monitoring. Examples of the utility of the CIS digital sea ice archive for climate studies will also be presented.

  13. Studies of cavitation and ice nucleation in 'doubly-metastable' water: time-lapse photography and neutron diffraction.

    PubMed

    Barrow, Matthew S; Williams, P Rhodri; Chan, Hoi-Houng; Dore, John C; Bellissent-Funel, Marie-Claire

    2012-10-14

    High-speed photographic studies and neutron diffraction measurements have been made of water under tension in a Berthelot tube. Liquid water was cooled below the normal ice-nucleation temperature and was in a doubly-metastable state prior to a collapse of the liquid state. This transition was accompanied by an exothermic heat release corresponding with the rapid production of a solid phase nucleated by cavitation. Photographic techniques have been used to observe the phase transition over short time scales in which a solidification front is observed to propagate through the sample. Significantly, other images at a shorter time interval reveal the prior formation of cavitation bubbles at the beginning of the process. The ice-nucleation process is explained in terms of a mechanism involving hydrodynamically-induced changes in tension in supercooled water in the near vicinity of an expanding cavitation bubble. Previous explanations have attributed the nucleation of the solid phase to the production of high positive pressures. Corresponding results are presented which show the initial neutron diffraction pattern after ice-nucleation. The observed pattern does not exhibit the usual crystalline pattern of hexagonal ice [I(h)] that is formed under ambient conditions, but indicates the presence of other ice forms. The composite features can be attributed to a mixture of amorphous ice, ice-I(h)/I(c) and the high-pressure form, ice-III, and the diffraction pattern continues to evolve over a time period of about an hour.

  14. ICE911 Research: Floating Safe Inert Materials to Preserve Ice and Conserve Water in Order to Mitigate Climate Change Impacts

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Field, L. A.; Manzara, A.; Chetty, S.; Venkatesh, S.; Scholtz, A.

    2015-12-01

    Ice911 Research has conducted years of field testing to develop and test localized reversible engineering techniques to mitigate the negative impacts of polar ice melt. The technology uses environmentally safe materials to reflect energy in carefully selected, limited areas from summertime polar sun. The technology is now being adapted to help with California's drought. We have tested the albedo modification technique on a small scale over seven Winter/Spring seasons at sites including California's Sierra Nevada Mountains, a Canadian lake, and a small artificial pond in Minnesota about 100 ft in diameter and 6 ft deep at the center, using various materials and an evolving array of instrumentation. On the pond in Minnesota, this year's test results for ice preservation, using hollow glass spheres deployed over our largest test areas yet, showed that glass bubbles can provide an effective material for increasing albedo, significantly reducing the melting rate of ice. This year Ice911 also undertook its first small Arctic field test in Barrow, Alaska on a lake in Barrow's BEO area, and results are still coming in. The technology that Ice911 has been developing for ice preservation has also been shown to keep small test areas of water cooler, in various small-scale tests spanning years. We believe that with some adaptations of the technology, the materials can be applied to reservoirs and lakes to help stretch these precious resources further in California's ongoing drought. There are several distinct advantages for this method over alternatives such as large reverse osmosis projects or building new reservoirs, which could possibly allow a drought-stricken state to build fewer of these more-costly alternatives. First, applying an ecologically benign surface treatment of Ice911's materials can be accomplished within a season, at a lower cost, with far less secondary environmental impact, than such capital-and-time-intensive infrastructure projects. Second, keeping

  15. Simultaneous measurement of unfrozen water content and ice content in frozen soil using gamma ray attenuation and TDR

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhou, Xiaohai; Zhou, Jian; Kinzelbach, Wolfgang; Stauffer, Fritz

    2014-12-01

    The freezing temperature of water in soil is not constant but varies over a range determined by soil texture. Consequently, the amounts of unfrozen water and ice change with temperature in frozen soil, which in turn affects hydraulic, thermal, and mechanical properties of frozen soil. In this paper, an Am-241 gamma ray source and time-domain reflectometry (TDR) were combined to measure unfrozen water content and ice content in frozen soil simultaneously. The gamma ray attenuation was used to determine total water content. The TDR was used to determine the dielectric constant of the frozen soil. Based on a four-phase mixing model, the amount of unfrozen water content in the frozen soil could be determined. The ice content was inferred by the difference between total water content and unfrozen water content. The gamma ray attenuation and the TDR were both calibrated by a gravimetric method. Water contents measured by gamma ray attenuation and TDR in an unfrozen silt column under infiltration were compared and showed that the two methods have the same accuracy and response to changes of water content. Unidirectional column freezing experiments were performed to apply the combined method of gamma ray attenuation and TDR for measuring unfrozen water content and ice content. The measurement error of the gamma ray attenuation and TDR was around 0.02 and 0.01 m3/m3, respectively. The overestimation of unfrozen water in frozen soil by TDR alone was quantified and found to depend on the amount of ice content. The higher the ice content, the larger the overestimation. The study confirmed that the combined method could accurately determine unfrozen water content and ice content in frozen soil. The results of soil column freezing experiments indicate that total water content distribution is affected by available pore space and the freezing front advance rate. It was found that there is similarity between the soil water characteristic and the soil freezing characteristic of

  16. Classical and quantum theories of proton disorder in hexagonal water ice

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Benton, Owen; Sikora, Olga; Shannon, Nic

    2016-03-01

    It has been known since the pioneering work of Bernal, Fowler, and Pauling that common, hexagonal (Ih) water ice is the archetype of a frustrated material: a proton-bonded network in which protons satisfy strong local constraints (the "ice rules") but do not order. While this proton disorder is well established, there is now a growing body of evidence that quantum effects may also have a role to play in the physics of ice at low temperatures. In this paper, we use a combination of numerical and analytic techniques to explore the nature of proton correlations in both classical and quantum models of ice Ih. In the case of classical ice Ih, we find that the ice rules have two, distinct, consequences for scattering experiments: singular "pinch points," reflecting a zero-divergence condition on the uniform polarization of the crystal, and broad, asymmetric features, coming from its staggered polarization. In the case of the quantum model, we find that the collective quantum tunneling of groups of protons can convert states obeying the ice rules into a quantum liquid, whose excitations are birefringent, emergent photons. We make explicit predictions for scattering experiments on both classical and quantum ice Ih, and show how the quantum theory can explain the "wings" of incoherent inelastic scattering observed in recent neutron scattering experiments [Bove et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 103, 165901 (2009), 10.1103/PhysRevLett.103.165901]. These results raise the intriguing possibility that the protons in ice Ih could form a quantum liquid at low temperatures, in which protons are not merely disordered, but continually fluctuate between different configurations obeying the ice rules.

  17. Ice Shelf-Ocean Interactions Near Ice Rises and Ice Rumples

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lange, M. A.; Rückamp, M.; Kleiner, T.

    2013-12-01

    The stability of ice shelves depends on the existence of embayments and is largely influenced by ice rises and ice rumples, which act as 'pinning-points' for ice shelf movement. Of additional critical importance are interactions between ice shelves and the water masses underlying them in ice shelf cavities, particularly melting and refreezing processes. The present study aims to elucidate the role of ice rises and ice rumples in the context of climate change impacts on Antarctic ice shelves. However, due to their smaller spatial extent, ice rumples react more sensitively to climate change than ice rises. Different forcings are at work and need to be considered separately as well as synergistically. In order to address these issues, we have decided to deal with the following three issues explicitly: oceanographic-, cryospheric and general topics. In so doing, we paid particular attention to possible interrelationships and feedbacks in a coupled ice-shelf-ocean system. With regard to oceanographic issues, we have applied the ocean circulation model ROMBAX to ocean water masses adjacent to and underneath a number of idealized ice shelf configurations: wide and narrow as well as laterally restrained and unrestrained ice shelves. Simulations were performed with and without small ice rises located close to the calving front. For larger configurations, the impact of the ice rises on melt rates at the ice shelf base is negligible, while for smaller configurations net melting rates at the ice-shelf base differ by a factor of up to eight depending on whether ice rises are considered or not. We employed the thermo-coupled ice flow model TIM-FD3 to simulate the effects of several ice rises and one ice rumple on the dynamics of ice shelf flow. We considered the complete un-grounding of the ice shelf in order to investigate the effect of pinning points of different characteristics (interior or near calving front, small and medium sized) on the resulting flow and stress fields

  18. On the state of water ice on saturn's moon Titan and implications to icy bodies in the outer solar system.

    PubMed

    Zheng, Weijun; Jewitt, David; Kaiser, Ralf I

    2009-10-22

    The crystalline state of water ice in the Solar System depends on the temperature history of the ice and the influence of energetic particles to which it has been exposed. We measured the infrared absorption spectra of amorphous and crystalline water ice in the 10-50 K and 10-140 K temperature ranges, respectively, and conducted a systematic experimental study to investigate the amorphization of crystalline water ice via ionizing radiation irradiation at doses of up to 160 +/- 30 eV per molecule. We found that crystalline water ice can be converted only partially to amorphous ice by electron irradiation. The experiments showed that a fraction of the 1.65 microm band, which is characteristic for crystalline water ice, survived the irradiation, to a degree that strongly depends on the temperature. Quantitative kinetic fits of the temporal evolution of the 1.65 mum band clearly demonstrate that there is a balance between thermal recrystallization and irradiation-induced amorphization, with thermal recrystallizaton dominant at higher temperatures. Our experiments show the amorphization at 40 K was incomplete, in contradiction to Mastrapa and Brown's conclusion (Icarus 2006, 183, 207.). At 50 K, the recrystallization due to thermal effects is strong, and most of the crystalline ice survived. Temperatures of most icy objects in the Solar System, including Jovian satellites, Saturnian satellites (including Titan), and Kuiper Belt Objects, are equal to or above 50 K; this explains why water ice detected on those objects is mostly crystalline.

  19. Direct observations of atmosphere - sea ice - ocean interactions during Arctic winter and spring storms

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Graham, R. M.; Itkin, P.; Granskog, M. A.; Assmy, P.; Cohen, L.; Duarte, P.; Doble, M. J.; Fransson, A.; Fer, I.; Fernandez Mendez, M.; Frey, M. M.; Gerland, S.; Haapala, J. J.; Hudson, S. R.; Liston, G. E.; Merkouriadi, I.; Meyer, A.; Muilwijk, M.; Peterson, A.; Provost, C.; Randelhoff, A.; Rösel, A.; Spreen, G.; Steen, H.; Smedsrud, L. H.; Sundfjord, A.

    2017-12-01

    To study the thinner and younger sea ice that now dominates the Arctic the Norwegian Young Sea ICE expedition (N-ICE2015) was launched in the ice-covered region north of Svalbard, from January to June 2015. During this time, eight local and remote storms affected the region and rare direct observations of the atmosphere, snow, ice and ocean were conducted. Six of these winter storms passed directly over the expedition and resulted in air temperatures rising from below -30oC to near 0oC, followed by abrupt cooling. Substantial snowfall prior to the campaign had already formed a snow pack of approximately 50 cm, to which the February storms contributed an additional 6 cm. The deep snow layer effectively isolated the ice cover and prevented bottom ice growth resulting in low brine fluxes. Peak wind speeds during winter storms exceeded 20 m/s, causing strong snow re-distribution, release of sea salt aerosol and sea ice deformation. The heavy snow load caused widespread negative freeboard; during sea ice deformation events, level ice floes were flooded by sea water, and at least 6-10 cm snow-ice layer was formed. Elevated deformation rates during the most powerful winter storms damaged the ice cover permanently such that the response to wind forcing increased by 60 %. As a result of a remote storm in April deformation processes opened about 4 % of the total area into leads with open water, while a similar amount of ice was deformed into pressure ridges. The strong winds also enhanced ocean mixing and increased ocean heat fluxes three-fold in the pycnocline from 4 to 12 W/m2. Ocean heat fluxes were extremely large (over 300 W/m2) during storms in regions where the warm Atlantic inflow is located close to surface over shallow topography. This resulted in very large (5-25 cm/day) bottom ice melt and in cases flooding due to heavy snow load. Storm events increased the carbon dioxide exchange between the atmosphere and ocean but also affected the pCO2 in surface waters

  20. Coherent Sea Ice Variations in the Nordic Seas and Abrupt Greenland Climate Changes over Dansgaard-Oeschger Cycles

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sadatzki, H.; Berben, S.; Dokken, T.; Stein, R.; Fahl, K.; Jansen, E.

    2016-12-01

    Rapid changes in sea ice extent in the Nordic Seas may have played a crucial role in controlling the abruptness of ocean circulation and climate changes associated with Dansgaard-Oeschger (D-O) cycles during the last glacial (Li et al., 2010; Dokken et al., 2013). To investigate the role of sea ice for abrupt climate changes, we produced a sea ice record from the Norwegian Sea Core MD99-2284 at a temporal resolution approaching that of ice core records, covering four D-O cycles at ca. 32-41 ka. This record is based on the sea ice diatom biomarker IP25, open-water phytoplankton biomarker dinosterol and semi-quantitative phytoplankton-IP25 (PIP25) estimates. A detailed tephrochronology of MD99-2284 corroborates the tuning-based age model and independently constrains the GS9/GIS8 transition, allowing for direct comparison between our sediment and ice core records. For cold stadials we find extremely low fluxes of total organic carbon, dinosterol and IP25, which points to a general absence of open-water phytoplankton and ice algae production under a near-permanent sea ice cover. For the interstadials, in turn, all biomarker fluxes are strongly enhanced, reflecting a highly productive sea ice edge situation and implying largely open ocean conditions for the eastern Nordic Seas. As constrained by three tephra layers, we observe that the stadial-interstadial sea ice decline was rapid and may have induced a coeval abrupt northward shift in the Greenland precipitation moisture source as recorded in ice cores. The sea ice retreat also facilitated a massive heat release through deep convection in the previously stratified Nordic Seas, generating atmospheric warming of the D-O events. We thus conclude that rapid changes in sea ice extent in the Nordic Seas amplified oceanic reorganizations and were a key factor in controlling abrupt Greenland climate changes over D-O cycles. Dokken, T.M. et al., 2013. Paleoceanography 28, 491-502 Li, C. et al., 2010. Journ. Clim. 23, 5457-5475

  1. Correlation studies of passive and active microwave data in the marginal ice zone

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Comiso, J. C.

    1991-01-01

    The microwave radiative and backscatter characteristics of sea ice in an Arctic marginal ice zone have been studied using near-simultaneous passive and active synthetic aperture radar microwave data. Intermediate-resolution multichannel passive microwave data were registered and analyzed. Passive and active microwave data generally complement each other as the two sensors are especially sensitive to different physical properties of the sea ice. In the inner pack, undeformed first-year ice is observed to have low backscatter values but high brightness temperatures while multiyear ice has generally high backscatter values and low brightness temperatures. However, in the marginal ice zone, the signature and backscatter for multiyear ice are considerably different and closer to those of first-year ice. Some floes identified by photography as snow-covered thick ice have backscatter similar to that of new ice or open water while brash ice has backscatter similar to or higher than that of ridged ice.

  2. The potential influence of Asian and African mineral dust on ice, mixed-phase and liquid water clouds

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wiacek, A.; Peter, T.; Lohmann, U.

    2010-09-01

    This modelling study explores the availability of mineral dust particles as ice nuclei for interactions with ice, mixed-phase and liquid water clouds, also tracking the particles' history of cloud-processing. We performed 61 320 one-week forward trajectory calculations originating near the surface of major dust emitting regions in Africa and Asia using high-resolution meteorological analysis fields for the year 2007. Dust-bearing trajectories were assumed to be those coinciding with known dust emission seasons, without explicitly modelling dust emission and deposition processes. We found that dust emissions from Asian deserts lead to a higher potential for interactions with high ice clouds, despite being the climatologically much smaller dust emission source. This is due to Asian regions experiencing significantly more ascent than African regions, with strongest ascent in the Asian Taklimakan desert at ~25%, ~40% and 10% of trajectories ascending to 300 hPa in spring, summer and fall, respectively. The specific humidity at each trajectory's starting point was transported in a Lagrangian manner and relative humidities with respect to water and ice were calculated in 6-h steps downstream, allowing us to estimate the formation of liquid, mixed-phase and ice clouds. Downstream of the investigated dust sources, practically none of the simulated air parcels reached conditions of homogeneous ice nucleation (T≲-40 °C) along trajectories that have not experienced water saturation first. By far the largest fraction of cloud forming trajectories entered conditions of mixed-phase clouds, where mineral dust will potentially exert the biggest influence. The majority of trajectories also passed through atmospheric regions supersaturated with respect to ice but subsaturated with respect to water, where so-called "warm ice clouds" (T≳-40 °C) theoretically may form prior to supercooled water or mixed-phase clouds. The importance of "warm ice clouds" and the general influence

  3. Understanding Ice Shelf Basal Melting Using Convergent ICEPOD Data Sets: ROSETTA-Ice Study of Ross Ice Shelf

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bell, R. E.; Frearson, N.; Tinto, K. J.; Das, I.; Fricker, H. A.; Siddoway, C. S.; Padman, L.

    2017-12-01

    The future stability of the ice shelves surrounding Antarctica will be susceptible to increases in both surface and basal melt as the atmosphere and ocean warm. The ROSETTA-Ice program is targeted at using the ICEPOD airborne technology to produce new constraints on Ross Ice Shelf, the underlying ocean, bathymetry, and geologic setting, using radar sounding, gravimetry and laser altimetry. This convergent approach to studying the ice-shelf and basal processes enables us to develop an understanding of the fundamental controls on ice-shelf evolution. This work leverages the stratigraphy of the ice shelf, which is detected as individual reflectors by the shallow-ice radar and is often associated with surface scour, form close to the grounding line or pinning points on the ice shelf. Surface accumulation on the ice shelf buries these reflectors as the ice flows towards the calving front. This distinctive stratigraphy can be traced across the ice shelf for the major East Antarctic outlet glaciers and West Antarctic ice streams. Changes in the ice thickness below these reflectors are a result of strain and basal melting and freezing. Correcting the estimated thickness changes for strain using RIGGS strain measurements, we can develop decadal-resolution flowline distributions of basal melt. Close to East Antarctica elevated melt-rates (>1 m/yr) are found 60-100 km from the calving front. On the West Antarctic side high melt rates primarily develop within 10 km of the calving front. The East Antarctic side of Ross Ice Shelf is dominated by melt driven by saline water masses that develop in Ross Sea polynyas, while the melting on the West Antarctic side next to Hayes Bank is associated with modified Continental Deep Water transported along the continental shelf. The two sides of Ross Ice Shelf experience differing basal melt in part due to the duality in the underlying geologic structure: the East Antarctic side consists of relatively dense crust, with low amplitude

  4. The microphysical properties of ice fog measured in urban environments of Interior Alaska

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schmitt, Carl G.; Stuefer, Martin; Heymsfield, Andrew J.; Kim, Chang Ki

    2013-10-01

    microphysical properties of ice fog were measured at two sites during a small field campaign in January and February of 2012 in Interior Alaska. The National Center for Atmospheric Research Video Ice Particle Sampler probe and Formvar (polyvinyl formal)-coated microscope slides were used to sample airborne ice particles at two polluted sites in the Fairbanks region. Both sites were significantly influenced by anthropogenic emission and additional water vapor from nearby open water power plant cooling ponds. Measurements show that ice fog particles were generally droxtal shaped (faceted, quasi-spherical) for sub-10 µm particles, while plate-shaped crystals were the most frequently observed particles between 10 and 50 µm. A visibility cutoff of 3 km was used to separate ice fog events from other observations which were significantly influenced by larger (50-150 µm) diamond dust particles. The purpose of this study is to more realistically characterize ice fog microphysical properties in order to facilitate better model predictions of the onset of ice fog in polluted environments. Parameterizations for mass and projected area are developed and used to estimate particle terminal velocity. Dimensional characteristics are based on particle geometry and indicated that ice fog particles have significantly lower densities than water droplets as well as reduced cross-sectional areas, the net result being that terminal velocities are estimated to be less than half the value of those calculated for water droplets. Particle size distributions are characterized using gamma functions and have a shape factor (μ) of between -0.5 and -1.0 for polluted ice fog conditions.

  5. Homogeneous ice nucleation from aqueous inorganic/organic particles representative of biomass burning: water activity, freezing temperatures, nucleation rates.

    PubMed

    Knopf, Daniel A; Rigg, Yannick J

    2011-02-10

    Homogeneous ice nucleation plays an important role in the formation of cirrus clouds with subsequent effects on the global radiative budget. Here we report on homogeneous ice nucleation temperatures and corresponding nucleation rate coefficients of aqueous droplets serving as surrogates of biomass burning aerosol. Micrometer-sized (NH(4))(2)SO(4)/levoglucosan droplets with mass ratios of 10:1, 1:1, 1:5, and 1:10 and aqueous multicomponent organic droplets with and without (NH(4))(2)SO(4) under typical tropospheric temperatures and relative humidities are investigated experimentally using a droplet conditioning and ice nucleation apparatus coupled to an optical microscope with image analysis. Homogeneous freezing was determined as a function of temperature and water activity, a(w), which was set at droplet preparation conditions. The ice nucleation data indicate that minor addition of (NH(4))(2)SO(4) to the aqueous organic droplets renders the temperature dependency of water activity negligible in contrast to the case of aqueous organic solution droplets. The mean homogeneous ice nucleation rate coefficient derived from 8 different aqueous droplet compositions with average diameters of ∼60 μm for temperatures as low as 195 K and a(w) of 0.82-1 is 2.18 × 10(6) cm(-3) s(-1). The experimentally derived freezing temperatures and homogeneous ice nucleation rate coefficients are in agreement with predictions of the water activity-based homogeneous ice nucleation theory when taking predictive uncertainties into account. However, the presented ice nucleation data indicate that the water activity-based homogeneous ice nucleation theory overpredicts the freezing temperatures by up to 3 K and corresponding ice nucleation rate coefficients by up to ∼2 orders of magnitude. A shift of 0.01 in a(w), which is well within the uncertainty of typical field and laboratory relative humidity measurements, brings experimental and predicted freezing temperatures and homogeneous ice

  6. Beaufort Sea ice zones as delineated by microwave imagery

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Campbell, W. J.; Gloersen, P.; Webster, W. J.; Wilheit, T. T.; Ramseier, R. O.

    1976-01-01

    Microwave and infrared data were obtained from a research aircraft over the Beaufort Sea ice from the shoreline of Harrison Bay northward to a latitude of almost 81 deg N. The data acquired were compared with microwave data obtained on the surface at an approximate position of 75 deg N, 150 deg W. Over this north-south transect of the polar ice canopy it was discovered that the sea ice could be divided into five distinct zones. The shorefast sea ice was found to consist uniformly of first-year sea ice. The second zone was found to be a mixture of first-year sea ice, medium size multiyear floes, and many recently refrozen leads, polynyas, and open water; considerable shearing activity was evident in this zone. The third zone was a mixture of first-year and multiyear sea ice which had a uniform microwave signature. The fourth zone was found to be a mixture of first-year sea ice and medium-to-large size multiyear floes which was similar in composition to the second zone. The fifth zone was almost exclusively multiyear ice extending to the North Pole.

  7. Water generation and transport through the high-pressure ice layers of Titan and Ganymede

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kalousova, K.; Sotin, C.; Choblet, G.; Tobie, G.; Grasset, O.

    2017-09-01

    We investigate the generation and transport of water through the high-pressure (HP) ice layers of Ganymede and Titan using a numerical model of two-phase convection in 2D geometry. Our results suggest that water can be generated at the silicate/HP ice interface for small to intermediate values of Rayleigh number (Ra 1.e8-1.e10) while no melt is generated for the higher values (Ra 1.e11). If generated, water is transported through the layer by the upwelling plumes and, depending on the vigor of convection, it stays liquid (smaller Ra) or it may freeze (intermediate Ra) before melting again as the plume reaches the temperate layer at the interface with the ocean. The thickness of this layer as well as the amount of melt that is extracted from it is controlled by the HP ice permeability. This process may enable the transfer of volatiles and salts that might have been leached from silicates by the meltwater. Since the HP ice layer is much thinner on Titan than on Ganymede, it is probably more permeable for volatiles and salts leached from the silicate core.

  8. Determining the Water Ice Content of Martian Regolith by Nonlinear Spectral Mixture Modeling

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gyalay, S.; Noe Dobrea, E. Z.

    2015-01-01

    In the search for evidence of life, Icebreaker will drill in to the Martian ice-rich regolith to collect samples, which will then be analyzed by an array of instruments designed to identify biomarkers. In addition, drilling into the subsurface will provide the opportunity to assess the vertical distribution of ice to a depth of 1 meter. The purpose of this particular project was to understand the uncertainties involved in the use of the imaging system to constrain the water ice content in regolith samples.

  9. Consequences of long-distance swimming and travel over deep-water pack ice for a female polar bear during a year of extreme sea ice retreat

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Durner, George M.; Whiteman, J.P.; Harlow, H.J.; Amstrup, Steven C.; Regehr, E.V.; Ben-David, M.

    2011-01-01

    Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) prefer to live on Arctic sea ice but may swim between ice floes or between sea ice and land. Although anecdotal observations suggest that polar bears are capable of swimming long distances, no data have been available to describe in detail long distance swimming events or the physiological and reproductive consequences of such behavior. Between an initial capture in late August and a recapture in late October 2008, a radio-collared adult female polar bear in the Beaufort Sea made a continuous swim of 687 km over 9 days and then intermittently swam and walked on the sea ice surface an additional 1,800 km. Measures of movement rate, hourly activity, and subcutaneous and external temperature revealed distinct profiles of swimming and walking. Between captures, this polar bear lost 22% of her body mass and her yearling cub. The extraordinary long distance swimming ability of polar bears, which we confirm here, may help them cope with reduced Arctic sea ice. Our observation, however, indicates that long distance swimming in Arctic waters, and travel over deep water pack ice, may result in high energetic costs and compromise reproductive fitness.

  10. An Assessment of the Icing Blade and the SEA Multi-Element Sensor for Liquid Water Content Calibration of the NASA GRC Icing Research Tunnel

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Steen, Laura E.; Ide, Robert F.; Van Zante, Judith F.

    2016-01-01

    The Icing Research Tunnel at NASA Glenn has recently switched from using the Icing Blade to using the SEA Multi-Element Sensor (also known as the multi-wire) for its calibration of cloud liquid water content. In order to peform this transition, tests were completed to compare the Multi-Element Sensor to the Icing Blade, particularly with respect to liquid water content, airspeed, and drop size. The two instruments were found to compare well for the majority of Appendix C conditions. However, it was discovered that the Icing Blade under-measures when the conditions approach the Ludlam Limit. This paper also describes data processing procedures for the Multi-Element Sensor in the IRT, including collision efficiency corrections, mounting underneath a splitter plate, and correcting for a jump in the compensation wire power. Further data is presented to describe the repeatability of the IRT with the Multi-Element Sensor, health-monitoring checks for the instrument, and a sensing-element configuration comparison. Ultimately these tests showed that in the IRT, the multi-wire is a better instrument for measuring cloud liquid water content than the blade.

  11. Contrasts in Arctic shelf sea-ice regimes and some implications: Beaufort Sea versus Laptev Sea

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Reimnitz, E.; Dethleff, D.; Nurnberg, D.

    1994-01-01

    The winter ice-regime of the 500 km) from the mainland than in the Beaufort Sea. As a result, the annual freeze-up does not incorporate old, deep-draft ice, and with a lack of compression, such deep-draft ice is not generated in situ, as on the Beaufort Sea shelf. The Laptev Sea has as much as 1000 km of fetch at the end of summer, when freezing storms move in and large (6 m) waves can form. Also, for the first three winter months, the polynya lies inshore at a water depth of only 10 m. Turbulence and freezing are excellent conditions for sediment entrainment by frazil and anchor ice, when compared to conditions in the short-fetched Beaufort Sea. We expect entrainment to occur yearly. Different from the intensely ice-gouged Beaufort Sea shelf, hydraulic bedforms probably dominate in the Laptev Sea. Corresponding with the large volume of ice produced, more dense water is generated in the Laptev Sea, possibly accompanied by downslope sediment transport. Thermohaline convection at the midshelf polynya, together with the reduced rate of bottom disruption by ice keels, may enhance benthic productivity and permit establishment of open-shelf benthic communities which in the Beaufort Sea can thrive only in the protection of barrier islands. Indirect evidence for high benthic productivity is found in the presence of walrus, who also require year-round open water. By contrast, lack of a suitable environment restricts walrus from the Beaufort Sea, although over 700 km farther to the south. We could speculate on other consequences of the different ice regimes in the Beaufort and Laptev Seas, but these few examples serve to point out the dangers of exptrapolating from knowledge gained in the North American Arctic to other shallow Arctic shelf settings. ?? 1994.

  12. Numerical modeling of runback water on ice protected aircraft surfaces

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Al-Khalil, Kamel M.; Keith, Theo G., Jr.; Dewitt, Kenneth J.

    1992-01-01

    A numerical simulation for 'running wet' aircraft anti-icing systems is developed. The model includes breakup of the water film, which exists in regions of direct impingement, into individual rivulets. The wetness factor distribution resulting from the film breakup and the rivulet configuration on the surface are predicted in the numerical solution procedure. The solid wall is modeled as a multilayer structure and the anti-icing system used is of the thermal type utilizing hot air and/or electrical heating elements embedded with the layers. Details of the calculation procedure and the methods used are presented.

  13. Large-scale oil-in-ice experiment in the Barents Sea: monitoring of oil in water and MetOcean interactions.

    PubMed

    Faksness, Liv-Guri; Brandvik, Per Johan; Daae, Ragnhild L; Leirvik, Frode; Børseth, Jan Fredrik

    2011-05-01

    A large-scale field experiment took place in the marginal ice zone in the Barents Sea in May 2009. Fresh oil (7000 L) was released uncontained between the ice floes to study oil weathering and spreading in ice and surface water. A detailed monitoring of oil-in-water and ice interactions was performed throughout the six-day experiment. In addition, meteorological and oceanographic data were recorded for monitoring of the wind speed and direction, air temperature, currents and ice floe movements. The monitoring showed low concentrations of dissolved hydrocarbons and the predicted acute toxicity indicated that the acute toxicity was low. The ice field drifted nearly 80 km during the experimental period, and although the oil drifted with the ice, it remained contained between the ice floes. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Multi-epoch Detections of Water Ice Absorption in Edge-on Disks around Herbig Ae Stars: PDS 144N and PDS 453

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Terada, Hiroshi; Tokunaga, Alan T.

    2017-01-01

    We report the multi-epoch detections of water ice in 2.8-4.2 μ {{m}} spectra of two Herbig Ae stars, PDS 144N (A2 IVe) and PDS 453 (F2 Ve), which have an edge-on circumstellar disk. The detected water ice absorption is found to originate from their protoplanetary disks. The spectra show a relatively shallow absorption of water ice of around 3.1 μ {{m}} for both objects. The optical depths of the water ice absorption are ˜0.1 and ˜0.2 for PDS 144N and PDS 453, respectively. Compared to the water ice previously detected in low-mass young stellar objects with an edge-on disk with a similar inclination angle, these optical depths are significantly lower. It suggests that stronger UV radiation from the central stars effectively decreases the water ice abundance around the Herbig Ae stars through photodesorption. The water ice absorption in PDS 453 shows a possible variation of the feature among the six observing epochs. This variation could be due to a change of absorption materials passing through our line of sight to the central star. The overall profile of the water ice absorption in PDS 453 is quite similar to the absorption previously reported in the edge-on disk object d216-0939, and this unique profile may be seen only at a high inclination angle in the range of 76°-80°.

  15. Sea ice decline and 21st century trans-Arctic shipping routes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Melia, N.; Haines, K.; Hawkins, E.

    2016-09-01

    The observed decline in Arctic sea ice is projected to continue, opening shorter trade routes across the Arctic Ocean, with potentially global economic implications. Here we quantify, using Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 global climate model simulations calibrated to remove spatial biases, how projected sea ice loss might increase opportunities for Arctic transit shipping. By midcentury for standard open water vessels, the frequency of navigable periods doubles, with routes across the central Arctic becoming available. A sea ice-ship speed relationship is used to show that European routes to Asia typically become 10 days faster via the Arctic than alternatives by midcentury, and 13 days faster by late century, while North American routes become 4 days faster. Future greenhouse gas emissions have a larger impact by late century; the shipping season reaching 4-8 months in Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP)8.5 double that of RCP2.6, both with substantial interannual variability. Moderately, ice-strengthened vessels likely enable Arctic transits for 10-12 months by late century.

  16. The potential influence of Asian and African mineral dust on ice, mixed-phase and liquid water clouds

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wiacek, A.; Peter, T.; Lohmann, U.

    2010-02-01

    This modelling study explores the availability of mineral dust particles as ice nuclei for interactions with ice, mixed-phase and liquid water clouds, also tracking the particles' history of cloud-processing. We performed 61 320 one-week forward trajectory calculations originating near the surface of major dust emitting regions in Africa and Asia using high-resolution meteorological analysis fields for the year 2007. Without explicitly modelling dust emission and deposition processes, dust-bearing trajectories were assumed to be those coinciding with known dust emission seasons. We found that dust emissions from Asian deserts lead to a higher potential for interactions with high clouds, despite being the climatologically much smaller dust emission source. This is due to Asian regions experiencing significantly more ascent than African regions, with strongest ascent in the Asian Taklimakan desert at ~25%, ~40% and 10% of trajectories ascending to 300 hPa in spring, summer and fall, respectively. The specific humidity at each trajectory's starting point was transported in a Lagrangian manner and relative humidities with respect to water and ice were calculated in 6-h steps downstream, allowing us to estimate the formation of liquid, mixed-phase and ice clouds. Practically none of the simulated air parcels reached regions where homogeneous ice nucleation can take place (T≲-40 °C) along trajectories that have not experienced water saturation first. By far the largest fraction of cloud forming trajectories entered conditions of mixed-phase clouds, where mineral dust will potentially exert the biggest influence. The majority of trajectories also passed through regions supersaturated with respect to ice but subsaturated with respect to water, where "warm" (T≳-40 °C) ice clouds may form prior to supercooled water or mixed-phase clouds. The importance of "warm" ice clouds and the general influence of dust in the mixed-phase cloud region are highly uncertain due to

  17. An Assessment of the Icing Blade and the SEA Multi-Element Sensor for Liquid Water Content Calibration of the NASA GRC Icing Research Tunnel

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Steen, Laura E.; Ide, Robert F.; Van Zante, Judith Foss

    2017-01-01

    The Icing Research Tunnel at NASA Glenn has recently switched to from using the Icing Blade to using the SEA Multi-Element Sensor (also known as the multi-wire) for its calibration of cloud liquid water content. In order to perform this transition, tests were completed to compare the Multi-Element Sensor to the Icing Blade, particularly with respect to liquid water content, airspeed, and drop size. The two instruments were found to compare well for the majority of Appendix C conditions. However, it was discovered that the Icing Blade under-measures when the conditions approach the Ludlam Limit. This paper also describes data processing procedures for the Multi-Element Sensor in the IRT, including collection efficiency corrections, mounting underneath a splitter plate, and correcting for a jump in the compensation wire power. Further data is presented to describe the repeatability of the IRT with the Multi-Element sensor, health-monitoring checks for the instrument, and a sensing-element configuration comparison.

  18. IceBridge Survey Flight Over Saunders Island and Wolstenholme Fjord

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2017-12-08

    This image of Saunders Island and Wolstenholme Fjord with Kap Atholl in the background was taken during an Operation IceBridge survey flight in April, 2013. Sea ice coverage in the fjord ranges from thicker, white ice seen in the background, to thinner grease ice and leads showing open ocean water in the foreground. In March 2013, NASA's Operation IceBridge scientists began another season of research activity over Arctic ice sheets and sea ice. IceBridge, a six-year NASA mission, is the largest airborne survey of Earth's polar ice ever flown. It will yield an unprecedented three-dimensional view of Arctic and Antarctic ice sheets, ice shelves and sea ice. These flights will provide a yearly, multi-instrument look at the behavior of the rapidly changing features of the Greenland and Antarctic ice. Image Credit: NASA / Michael Studinger Read more about the mission here: www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/icebridge/index.html NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

  19. Development and evaluation of ice phenology algorithm from space-borne active and passive microwave measurements

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kang, K.; Duguay, C. R.

    2013-12-01

    The presence (or absence) of ice cover plays an important role in lake-atmosphere interactions at high latitudes during the winter months. Knowledge of ice phenology (i.e. freeze-onset/melt-onset, ice-on/ice-off dates, and ice cover duration) is crucial for understanding both the role of lake ice cover in and its response to regional weather and climate. Shortening of the ice cover season in many regions of the Northern Hemisphere over recent decades has been shown to significantly influence the thermal regime as well as the water quality and quantity of lakes. In this respect, satellite remote sensing instruments are providing invaluable measurements for monitoring changes in timing of ice phenological events and the length of the ice cover (or open water) season on large northern lakes, and also for providing more spatially representative limnological information than available from in situ measurements. In this study, we present a new ice phenology retrieval algorithm developed from the synergistic use of Quick Scatterometer (QuikSCAT), Oceansat-2 Scatterometer (OSCAT) and the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer (AMSR-E). Retrieved ice dates are then evaluated against those derived from the NOAA Interactive Multisensor Snow and Ice Mapping System (IMS) 4 km resolution product (2004-2011) during the freeze-up and break-up periods (2002-2012) for 11 lakes (Amadjuak, Nettilling, Great Bear, Great Slave, Manitoba, and Winnipeg in North America as well as Inarijrvi, Ladoga, Onega, Qinghai (Koko Nor), and Baikal in Eurasia). In addition, daily wind speed derived from QuikSCAT/OSCAT is analyzed along with WindSAT surface wind vector products (2002-2012) during the open water season for the large lakes. A detailed evaluation of the new algorithm conducted over Great Slave Lake (GSL) and Great Bear Lake (GBL) reveals that estimated ice-on/ice-off dates are within 4-7 days of those derived from the IMS product. Preliminary analysis of ice dates show that ice-on occurs

  20. A water activity based model of heterogeneous ice nucleation kinetics for freezing of water and aqueous solution droplets

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Knopf, Daniel A.; Alpert, Peter A.

    Immersion freezing of water and aqueous solutions by particles acting as ice nuclei (IN) is a common process of heterogeneous ice nucleation which occurs in many environments, especially in the atmosphere where it results in the glaciation of clouds. Here we experimentally show, using a variety of IN types suspended in various aqueous solutions, that immersion freezing temperatures and kinetics can be described solely by temperature, T, and solution water activity, aw, which is the ratio of the vapour pressure of the solution and the saturation water vapour pressure under the same conditions and, in equilibrium, equivalent to relative humiditymore » (RH). This allows the freezing point and corresponding heterogeneous ice nucleation rate coefficient, Jhet, to be uniquely expressed by T and aw, a result we term the aw based immersion freezing model (ABIFM). This method is independent of the nature of the solute and accounts for several varying parameters, including cooling rate and IN surface area, while providing a holistic description of immersion freezing and allowing prediction of freezing temperatures, Jhet, frozen fractions, ice particle production rates and numbers. Our findings are based on experimental freezing data collected for various IN surface areas, A, and cooling rates, r, of droplets variously containing marine biogenic material, two soil humic acids, four mineral dusts, and one organic monolayer acting as IN. For all investigated IN types we demonstrate that droplet freezing temperatures increase as A increases. Similarly, droplet freezing temperatures increase as the cooling rate decreases. The log 10(J het) values for the various IN types derived exclusively by T and aw, provide a complete description of the heterogeneous ice nucleation kinetics. Thus, the ABIFM can be applied over the entire range of T, RH, total particulate surface area, and cloud activation timescales typical of atmospheric conditions. Finally, we demonstrate that ABIFM can