Imaging the Evolution of Brine Transport in Experimentally Grown Quasi-two-dimensional Sea Ice

Anthropogenic climate change is affecting the extent and composition of sea ice,modifying the movement of salt, gases and nutrients in the ocean-ice-atmosphere system. In order to understand how these changes will feedback into the climate system, it is necessary to understand how brine and fresher water are transported during the phase changes as sea ice grows and melts. We present here the methodology and preliminary results of an experimental approach visualizing the convective movements of brine and fresher water as sea ice grows in a quasi-two-dimensional set-up, using Schlieren imaging techniques.