Melting Driven Convection at the Ice-seawater Interface

Abstract

We performed direct numerical simulations to investigate the interaction of a vertical ice interface with seawater, and particularly the small-scale convection generated when a wall of Antarctic ice melts in the salty and warmer seawater. The three coupled interface equations are used, along with the Boussinesq and non-hydrostatic governing equations of motion and equation of state for seawater, to solve for interface temperature, salinity and melt rate. Fluxes of both heat and salt to the interface play significant roles in rate of ice melting. The main focus is on the dissolving of ice (at ambient water temperatures between −1° C and 6° C and salinity around 35 ‰) as characterizes many sites around Antarctica. Under these conditions the diffusion of salt to the ice-waterinterface depresses the freezing point and further enhances heat diffusion to the ice.