Author(s): Aleksey Marchenko; Nataliya Marchenko
Linked Author(s):
Keywords: Iceberg; Drift; Seawater; Melting; Waves; Laboratory experiment
Abstract: Eleven laboratory experiments on iceberg melting in seawater with water temperatures varying from the freezing point to 2oC in still water and under wave conditions were carried out in the wave tank in cold laboratory of the University Centre in Svalbard in 2022 and 2023. Iceberg models of cylindrical shape were made from the cores of columnar lake ice with a diameter of 24 cm and vertical dimension 10-15 cm. In one experiment, the iceberg model was laterally protected by a plastic barrier. The experiment was carried out to study a way to reduce ice melting when towing icebergs to deliver fresh water. Iceberg masses and drafts, water temperatures, and ice temperatures were measured in the experiments. Water velocities near model icebergs were measured with an acoustic Doppler velocimeter. Cylindrical iceberg model was considered to calculate the effective radius of icebergs. Using experimental data we calculated effective lateral and basal melting rates of icebergs, and derived empirical formulas describing the dependence of the melting rates due to thermal effect and wave action. Significant reduction of lateral melting rate was found when the iceberg was protected by a plastic barrier.
Year: 2024