Annual Development Cycle of an Icing Deposit and Associated Perennial Spring Activity on Axel Heiberg Island, Canadian High Arctic

Abstract

This paper examines the behavior of perennial saline springs and their icings at Expedition Fiord in the Canadian High Arctic during the winter months when temperatures are below the eutectic point of the solution and during the early spring when temperatures are still below freezing but above the eutectic point. The spring outflow begins to freeze when it cools from the discharge temperature which is between −3.5°C and +6°C. As ice forms it remains mixed with the brine forming a salty, icy, slush which lines the sides of the flow channel. Networks of pipes and tunnels also allow the brine to flow under and through the icing before being frozen at the icing perimeter. In late winter complete freezing occurs several hundred meters from the springs’ outlets. There appears to be incomplete fractionation of salt during the freezing process and the bulk ice contains 30 to 285 ppt salt. The icing reaches its maximum extent in late winter just before temperatures rise above the eutectic point. In April 2002 the icing had dimensions of 300 m by 700 m, an average thickness of 0.5 m and a total mass of approximately 2 ×108 kg. This icing mass is consistent with the flow from the springs during the previous 6 mo.