Collaborative Research: Pancake Ice Cover Formation

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This project is a study of the formation of an antarctic sea ice cover through the agglutination of ice crystals into small floes ("pancakes") which grow and aggregate into larger floes, ultimately forming a continuous ice cover. The objective of the project is to determine how this evolution of pancake ice is determined by different environmental conditions. The annual areal coverage of antarctic pancake ice is estimated at approximately six million square kilometers, more than a third of the wintertime sea ice area. The project will begin with a field experiment to collect a comprehensive data set of the in situ environmental formation conditions. Laboratory work will be carried out subsequently, both with plastic simulated ice and with naturally grown ice in an outdoor wave tank. Theoretical and numerical studies will be carried out in parallel. Results from this study will provide quantitative information about the physical structure of a pancake ice cover, and its mechanical action under a range of environmental conditions. These results will bear significantly on the signature of pancake ice in satellite imagery, its utilization as a habitat by sea ice and cold water biota, and its proper effect on integrated global climate models.