Modelling the interrelationships between permeability, effective porosity and total porosity in sea ice

A permeability–porosity relationship is obtained for use in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modelling of desalination and fluid flow in sea ice. This functional relationship is derived from laboratory data from the literature on unidirectional saltwater ice formation. Calibration is performed with the CFD model, combined with field measurements of the stable salinity profile of sea ice. A Monte Carlo percolation model is used to obtain a relationship between effective and total porosity, supporting a simple analytical approximation. Comparison of the permeability–porosity relationship with data from the literature shows consistency within an order of magnitude. Systematic differences could be due to differences in growth conditions.