Product Code Database
Rotten ice is a loose term for ice that is melting or structurally disintegrating due to being honeycombed by liquid water, air, or contaminants trapped between the initial growth of ice crystals. It may appear transparent or splotchy grey, and it is generally found after spring or summer thaws, presenting a danger to those traveling or spending time in outdoor recreation. The increase of rotten ice vs. solid ice in the Arctic affects ocean-atmosphere heat transfer and year-to-year ice formation, as well as the lives of the Inuit, sea mammals such as walrus and polar bear, and the microorganisms that live inside the ice.
Rotten ice has a subtype called "candle ice", which has a columnar structure. Like other rotten ice, it poses a hazard to humans due to its lack of structure.
Rotting may begin at the top or bottom surface and occurs due to absorption of heat from the sun. In general, ice melting may accelerate due to various factors. Water from underneath the ice can erode the ice and cause it to be thinner without a sign on the surface. Runoff from upstream melting, roads (especially salted), and snow can weaken the ice, and "tree stumps, rocks and docks absorb heat from the sun, causing ice around them to melt." Ice may melt faster along shorelines. Ice under a layer of snow will be thinner and weaker due to the snow's insulating effect; a new snowfall can also warm up and melt existing ice. However, snow or snow ice may also absorb or reflect incoming solar radiation and prevent rotting until the snow is melted. Regardless of thickness, ice will be weakened by multiple freezes and thaws or layers of snow inside the ice itself. It melts more quickly than solid ice.
Certain types of bacteria in rotten ice pores produce polymer-like substances, which may influence the physical properties of the ice. A team from the University of Washington studying this phenomenon hypothesizes that the polymers may provide a stabilizing effect to the ice. However, other scientists have found algae and other microorganisms produce pigments or help create a substance, cryoconite, all of which increase rotting and further the growth of the microorganisms.
In the years leading up to 2015, Greenland's ice cover has decreased to "a rotten ice regime", with months of solid ice decreasing from 9 per year to 2-3, and with thickness decreasing from 6-10 feet to 7 inches by 2004. The decline of solid land ice to rotten ice strongly disrupts travel and subsistence hunting for the local Inuit, as well as travel and habitat for sea mammals. In the future, the shedding rotted or melted ice may affect coastlines of other continents via rising sea levels.
|
|
