Going with the flow: experiments in Cambridge strengthen ice thickening expectations

A new paper by researchers at the University of Cambridge details experiments into the flow of water over ice - important research for the viability of techniques to "refreeze" the Arctic. Developing on previous work by the Centre for Climate Repair, the researchers - Jacob Pantling, Grae Worster, and Shaun Fitzgerald - found experimental results from the “cold lab” in DAMTP matched the large-scale models underpinning the big ideas of sea ice thickening.

Read it here: Modelling the response of an ice disc to radial water flow in the context of sea ice thickening | Experiments in Fluids 

In summary:

One proposed method of Refreezing the Arctic is thickening sea ice by pumping seawater through the ice onto its surface so that it freezes faster. Despite large-scale modelling indicating that the technique could effectively thicken sea ice in the Arctic, there has been very little research on the flow of water over ice. 

The paper extends previous work in the Centre for Climate Repair on channel flow of water over ice into asymmetric radial flow. Three models are developed for the heat transfer from the water to the ice-water interface for different flow conditions. These are balanced with conduction through the ice to determine the freezing/melting rate, which then provides an time-dependent ice profile. 

Experiments were conducted in the cold room at DAMTP for three initial water temperatures between 1 and 2°C and ice at -10 °C. These experimental results were compared with the models developed and found to match well to the viscous, thermal boundary layer model which is appropriate for the flow regime. The paper concludes with recommendations of extensions to the work that could be carried out, some of which are currently being investigating in the Centre for Climate Repair.

This work is part of an effort by the Centre for Climate Repair and collaborators to investigate methods of “refreezing” the Arctic. Jacob Pantling was recently in the Arctic with Real Ice, and Shaun will go out next week. You can read about their journeys here: On the ice: live from our Arctic research | Centre for Climate Repair