Author(s): Chia-Ren Chu; Cheng-Han Yu; Hwa Chien

Linked Author(s):

Keywords: Ice melting; Melting rate; Large eddy simulation; Convective heat transfer

Abstract: It is well known that global warming has led to rising temperatures worldwide and ice melting in the Arctic and Antarctic regions. Between 1994 and 2017, the ice melting caused a 35 mm rise in global sea levels (Slater et al., 2021). In addition, the opening of new shipping routes in the Arctic Sea has spurred growing research interest in the melting of Arctic ice. However, a substantial discrepancy exists between the melting rates predicted by models and those observed in the field. This study employs laboratory experiments and a Large Eddy Simulation (LES) model to examine the melting process of ice floes in both freshwater and saltwater currents. The results indicate that the ice block exhibits non-uniform melting in its thickness, frontal, and leeward parts. The rates of mass loss and thickness reduction are linear functions of current velocity over the range of 0.02 - 0.30 m/s. This study proposes a semi-analytic prediction model for the ice melting rate under different current velocities.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.64697/978-90-835589-7-4_41WC-P1803-cd

Year: 2025