Ken Golden: Climate Change and the Mathematics of Transport in Sea Ice
2010 HMC Mathematics Conference on the Mathematics of Environmental Sustainability and Green Technology
Ken Golden (University of Utah)
Sea ice is both an indicator and agent of climate change. It also hosts extensive algal and bacterial communities, which sustain life in the polar oceans. The dramatic decline of the summer Arctic ice pack is perhaps the most visible, large-scale change on Earth's surface in recent years. Most global climate models, however, have underestimated this decline, while the Antarctic sea-ice pack has increased. We will discuss some key sea ice processes which must be better represented in climate models, such as snow-ice formation and the evolution of melt ponds and ice pack reflectance. Recent mathematical advances in characterizing the porous microstructure of sea ice, and fluid flow through it, shed new light on these processes. Our work will help in predicting and monitoring the impact of global warming on sea ice and the response of polar ecosystems. Video from a 2007 Antarctic expedition where we measured fluid and electrical transport in sea ice will be shown.