Abstract
Frazil ice, consisting of loose disc-shaped ice crystals, is the first ice that forms in the annual cycle in the marginal ice zone (MIZ) of the Antarctic. A sufficient number of frazil ice crystals form the surface “grease ice” layer, playing a fundamental role in the freezing processes in the MIZ. As soon as the ocean waves are sufficiently damped by a frazil ice cover, a closed ice cover can form. In this article, we investigate the rheological properties of frazil ice, which has a crucial influence on the growth of sea ice in the MIZ. An in situ test setup for measuring temperature and rheological properties was developed. Frazil ice shows shear thinning flow behavior. The presented measurements enable real-data-founded modelling of the annual ice cycle in the MIZ.
Highlights
The growth and melting of sea ice in the Antarctic polar region represents one of the largest seasonal changes on Earth [1]
This paper gives a brief overview of the importance of frazil ice for the growth of Antarctic sea ice, which plays a key role in global warming
Measurements of temperature, shear stress, and apparent viscosity were conducted during the Winter Cruise 2019 and constitute the first data set on frazil ice from the Antarctic marginal ice zone (MIZ) ever taken in situ
Summary
The growth and melting of sea ice in the Antarctic polar region represents one of the largest seasonal changes on Earth [1]. These seasonal variations are of greatest importance for the bio-habitat of Antarctica as well as for the global climate. The MIZ is the transition zone between open water and consolidated ice where the sea ice concentration is between. As soon as the waves are sufficiently attenuated by this frazil/pancake layer, a consolidated ice cover can form. This process is denoted as the pancake ice cycle [5]
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