Author(s): Ose Negbenebor; Hayley H. Shen; Stephen F. Ackley
Linked Author(s): Stephen Ackley
Keywords: No Keywords
Abstract: The formation of pancake ice has been attributed to wave action. It is well known that ice cover can attenuate wave energy. This attenuation self-regulates the extent with which wave can maintain the pancake ice field. When wave amplitude drops below some critical value, pancakes will start to freeze together to form a continuous solid cover. This solid cover eventually becomes the final seasonal ice. In this paper we report a laboratory study conducted at USACRREL. Pancake ice was grown in a wave tank in a cold room. The evolution of the diameter and ice thickness, and the attenuation of the wave from open water through the ice cover are reported. The attenuation obeys an exponential decay. The decay coefficient is related to the wave and the ice conditions. The sharpest increase of the decay coefficient is correlated with the most rapid growth in pancake ice diameter.
Year: 2004