Study on Heat Transfer and Melt Mechanism of Arctic Sea Ice

Sea ice is one of the most important natural phenomena in the Arctic Ocean and controls the heat transfer between ocean and atmosphere. In this study, We provide a theoretical reference in revealing the processes of heat transfer and melting mechanism of Arctic sea ice. Field measurements of sea ice physical and heat transfer data of sea ice during the summer 2010 Chinese National Arctic Research Expedition are used to establish a three-dimensional model of sea ice using numerical simulation of FLUENT software, with full consideration of (1) the influence of atmosphere and sea water to the convective heat transfer of sea ice and (2) the influence of solar radiative heat transfer to sea ice. Through virtual temperature field of sea ice in different thermal environments we expect to reveal the internal heat transfer mechanism of the composite structure of arctic sea ice. Based on the above simulation, the melting mechanism of sea ice can be theoretically examined. Under the energy conservation principle, the latent heat of melting sea ice is then measured in laboratory setting. Through both laboratory and theoretical analyses, we expect to provide important data and information for better understanding the heat transfer and melting mechanism process of Arctic sea ice