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Sea Ice Aging by Diffusion-Driven Desalination

Yihong Du1, Feng Wang1,*, Enrico Calzavarini2, and Chao Sun1,3

  • *Contact author: fengwang2023@tsinghua.edu.cn
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Phys. Rev. Lett. 135, 104201 – Published 5 September, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/mct1-6hbw

Abstract

Sea ice is a key component of Earth’s climate system, making its aging process an essential focus of current research. The age of sea ice is closely linked to its thermal and mechanical properties, which govern its interactions with the surrounding environment. In this study, we combine experimental techniques and modeling to explore the full dynamical process of mushy ice growth and spontaneous aging in saline water, within a natural convective flow system. We show that the aging of newly formed mushy ice in the present system, characterized by a gradual long-term reduction in porosity, is controlled by diffusion-driven desalination. Moreover, we observe that the system eventually transits into a dense freshwater ice layer adjacent to a well-mixed saline water region. The shape of the ice layer in this asymptotic state is well captured by numerical simulations of nonporous ice. Our findings improve the understanding of the complex physics governing phase changes in aqueous systems and provide a framework for studying sea ice aging in laboratory settings, with implications spanning diverse natural and industrial applications.

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Salt Loss Dictates Sea-Ice Structure

Published 5 September, 2025

Experiments on freezing saltwater have teased apart flow dynamics inside ice pores, offering a possible boost to climate models’ predictive power.

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Supplemental Material

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Phys. Rev. Lett. 135, 104201– Published 5 September, 2025
  • Received 27 February 2025
  • Revised 25 May 2025
  • Accepted 30 June 2025
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