Physics Department Seminar University of Alaska Fairbanks


J O U R N A L    C L U B

 
Investigating Brine on Frost Flowers with Absorption Tomography
 
by
 
Peter Peterson
Physics Dept./GI, UAF

 

 

ABSTRACT

Because of the ubiquitous nature of ice, chemistry taking place on ice surfaces can have a substantial effect on the environment, particularly in the polar regions, through processes such as ozone depletion and mercury deposition. Frost flowers are an ice form found on newly formed sea ice that have the potential to play a role in halogen activation due to their high salinity and surface area. Current understanding of the role of frost flowers in these processes is inhibited by a lack of knowledge of the impurity distribution in relation to the ice surface. One way of obtaining this information is through the use of X-ray microtomography. This technique allows for visualization and quantitative analysis of the brine distribution. Analysis of the data shows that while brine is concentrated near the surface of the frost flower, it is unevenly distributed over the surface corroborating previously proposed mechanisms of frost flower growth and effects of the growth process on surface microstructure.



 

Friday, 19 Nov 2010

Note location: Elvey Auditorium, Elvey Building

3:45 PM