Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-2plfb Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-25T05:09:16.139Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Melting of fresh-water ice in sea water

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 January 2017

Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Type
Correspondence
Copyright
Copyright © International Glaciological Society 1962

Sir, Melting of fresh-water ice in sea water

In my article in the last number of the Journal of Glaciology (p. 1051–52) overlooked the most detailed early experiments on the question. In 1903 during the Gauss expedition Reference von Drygalskivon Drygalski (1921) studied the melting of cubes of fresh-water ice in sea water at temperatures between −0.25° and −1.9° C. He immersed the cubes to depths of 4, 10, 50, 200 and 380 m. Surprisingly, with similar measured temperatures, cubes of equal size used to melt faster at lower than at higher levels. Von Drygalski thought that the faster melting in the lower layers was caused by an occasional influx of slightly warmer water.

F. Loewe

Institute of Polar Studies, Ohio State University, Columbus 10, Ohio, U.S.A, 24 October 1961

References

von Drygalski, E. 1921. Das Eis der Antarktis und der subantarktischen Meere. (In Deutsche Südpolar-Expedition 1901–1904… herausgegeben von E. von Drygalski … I Bd. Geographie, Ht. 4.. Berlin und Leipzig, W. de Gruyter, p. 365709 Google Scholar