Time-dependent Effects On Ridge Initiation In Sea Ice Leads

Abstract

Recent measurements of stresses in sea ice prior to and during ridge building indicate that large stress levels may be present in the ice for several hours before ridge building actually occurs. Therefore, it may be that the time dependence (viscosity) of the lead ice which forms the ridge may be important to the ridge initiation process. This effect is investigated in this paper by considering a simple model in which the lead ice is represented by a visco-elastic beam on an elastic foundation. Elapsed time from the time of load application until creep buckling failure is determined for a range of loadings and ice elastic moduli and viscosities. These properties were obtained during the Coordinated Eastern Arctic Experiment (CEAREX). These calculations provide a framework for planning field experiments to study lead ice failure and a starting point for analysis of lead ice failure mechanisms.