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The effects of double diffusive convection on the basal melting of solid ice in seawater

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 June 2025

Rongfu Guo  and
Yantao Yang Open the ORCID record for Yantao Yang [Opens in a new window]
Rongfu Guo
Affiliation:
State Key Laboratory for Turbulence and Complex Systems, Department of Mechanics and Engineering Science, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, PR China
Yantao Yang*
Affiliation:
State Key Laboratory for Turbulence and Complex Systems, Department of Mechanics and Engineering Science, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, PR China Laoshan Laboratory, Qingdao, Shandong 266299, PR China
*
Corresponding author: Yantao Yang, yantao.yang@pku.edu.cn
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Abstract

The dynamics of ice basal melting in seawater is one of the key factors in understanding and modelling the ice–seawater interaction in the polar oceans. In this work we study the basal melting of solid ice in seawater, and focus on the interaction between the melting process and the double diffusive convection developed in the seawater layer. Different temperatures and salinity differences are systematically simulated, and two different flow regimes are identified. For a relatively weak salinity difference, the convection layer occupies most of the liquid layer and grows in height as the ice melts. When the salinity difference is strong enough, the convection layer shrinks with time and a stably stratified layer grows between the ice layer and convection layer. When the dynamics is dominated by the convection layer, the global heat and salinity transfer rates follow a power-law scaling. Theoretical models are developed for the local mean salinity at the ice–water interface and the melting rates, and the critical density ratio corresponding to the transition between the two regimes, which all agree with the numerical results. Density inversion happens consistently adjacent to the ice–seawater interface, which has a profound influence on the ice surface shape. All these findings provide useful insights into the detailed dynamics of ice basal melting in oceans.

JFM classification

Convection: Double diffusive convection Geophysical and Geological Flows: Sea ice Turbulent Flows: Stratified turbulence
Type
JFM Papers
Information
Journal of Fluid Mechanics , Volume 1013 , 25 June 2025 , A24
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press

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