DRACO

Abstract

The brine pore space in sea ice can form complex connected structures whose geometry is critical in the governance of important physical transport processes between the ocean, sea ice, and surface. Recent advances in three dimensional imaging using X-ray micro-computed tomography have enabled the visualization and quantification of the brine network morphology and variability. Using imaging of first-year sea ice samples at in situ temperatures, we create a new mathematical network model to characterize the topology and connectivity of the brine channels. This model provides a statistical framework where we can characterize the pore networks via two parameters, depth and temperature, for use in dynamical sea ice models. Our approach advances the quantification of brine connectivity in sea ice, which can help investigations of bulk physical properties, such as fluid permeability, that are key in both global and regional sea ice models.

Field Expeditions:

• Kangerlussuaq, Greenland (July, 2024)
• CRREL Permafrost Tunnel, Fairbanks, Alaska (June, 2024)

Talks:

• “Permafrost at the Nanoscale: What Can We See?” Vermont State University Academic Excellence Conference, Castleton, VT. 2024
• “Take a Look Inside with 3D X-ray Vision.” Vermont State University Academic Excellence Conference, Lyndon, VT. 2023.

Abstract

The brine pore space in sea ice can form complex connected structures whose geometry is critical in the governance of important physical transport processes between the ocean, sea ice, and surface. Recent advances in three dimensional imaging using X-ray micro-computed tomography have enabled the visualization and quantification of the brine network morphology and variability. Using imaging of first-year sea ice samples at in situ temperatures, we create a new mathematical network model to characterize the topology and connectivity of the brine channels. This model provides a statistical framework where we can characterize the pore networks via two parameters, depth and temperature, for use in dynamical sea ice models. Our approach advances the quantification of brine connectivity in sea ice, which can help investigations of bulk physical properties, such as fluid permeability, that are key in both global and regional sea ice models.

Field Expeditions:

• Utqiagvik (formerly Barrow), Alaska (February – March, 2015)

Talks:

• “The Microstructure of Sea Ice and its Influences on the Polar Transport of Salts.” Applied Physics Laboratory, University of Washington, Seattle, WA. January 8, 2016.
• “From Barrow, With Ice: The Story of the ICE-MITT.” Ice and Climate Seminar, Dartmouth College, NH. May 12, 2015.
• “From Antarctica to the Arctic: A Story of Snow, Sea Ice, and the Frigid Cold.” Center for Student Coastal Research, Cohasset, MA. April 30, 2015.

Abstract

Polar tropospheric ozone depletion events (ODE) are an early springtime phenomena strongly correlated with increased concentrations of reactive bromine gases (BrO and Br), whereby Br serves as a catalysis in the breakdown of ozone into oxygen through a series of photochemical and heterogeneous reactions. This process involves the autocatalytic production of reactive bromine from bromide ions originating in the ocean, in what is termed the “bromine explosion.” During an ODE, atmospheric oxidation potentials can be altered, with unique halogen oxidation pathways dominating atmospheric chemistry, resulting in consequences such as the depletion of gaseous mercury and subsequent mercury deposition in polar regions. However, the mechanism by which Br enters the troposphere is not well understood. Sea ice is known to play a critical role in mediating the exchange of heat, gases, and chemical species across the ocean-atmosphere interface. This research focuses on the transport of Br, which originates in sea water and is hypothesized to enter the atmosphere via blowing snow over first year sea ice. Using ion chromatography, x-ray micro-computed tomography, synchrotron x-ray micro-fluorescence, and scanning electron microscopy, we aim to identify the microstructural and stratigraphic location of Br and other salts in the snow and ice. Knowing whether these salts exist at grain boundaries or deeper within the crystal lattice helps assess the potential that blowing snow can loft Br into the atmosphere. With the ratio of first-year to multi-year sea ice increasing with climate change, understanding this mechanism is critical for assessing the impact of ODEs on future atmospheric chemistry.

Field Expeditions:

• Ross Sea, Antarctica (October – November, 2012)
• Utqiagvik (formerly Barrow), Alaska (March, 2012)

Talks:

• “Bromide: It’s What’s Blowing in the Wind.” Ice and Climate Seminar, Dartmouth College, NH. April 22, 2014.
• “Salty Snow and Radical Reactions: The Activation of Bromide in the Sea Ice Zone.” Department of Mathematics, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT. April 26, 2013.
• “Bromide in Snow in the Sea Ice Zone.” McMurdo Station Sunday Talks, Ross Island, Antarctica. October 28, 2012.
• “Salty Snow and Radical Reactions: The Activation of Bromide in the Sea Ice Zone.” University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand. September 27, 2012.
• “Salty Snow and Radical Reactions.” Ice and Climate Seminar, Dartmouth College, NH. August 7, 2012.
• “Life in the Cold.” Cohasset High School, Cohasset, MA. May 4, 2012.

Abstract

The air-water interface (AWI) is a critical parameter that influences the retention and transport of volatile contaminants through porous media, including soils. The areal extent of the AWI, Aia, has been shown to vary with media texture and water saturation (Sw), with larger Aia values generally corresponding to increased adsorption capacity and retention of contaminants. The objective of this work is to characterize the Aia/Sw relationship using gas-phase interfacial tracer tests for two media: Vinton (fine sand with small amounts of silt and clay) and Granusil 7030 (fine sand). The media were chosen to represent two sands with similar particle sizes, but different surface roughness as represented by N2/BET surface areas of 3.33 and 0.56 m2/g, respectively. Media with greater surface roughness are hypothesized to yield larger interfacial areas, leading to increased retardation of contaminant transport. Aia was measured using decane vapor as the interfacial tracer for porous media at water saturations ranging from approximately 2.5% to 20%. Once Aia was measured for a particular system, its value was used to predict the gas-phase retardation of a contaminant, trichloroethylene (TCE) vapor, an industrial organic solvent and carcinogen, traveling through the same soil system. The predicted retardation for TCE was then compared to its observed retardation through the soil column. Results show that overall, Aia generally decreased with increasing Sw, in agreement with the literature. For all Sw studied, measured Aia values were greater for Vinton than for Granusil 7030 as a result of the greater surface roughness for Vinton. Predicted retardation factors for TCE matched the general Sw trend of the observed data, however, predictions were consistently greater than observed values. This difference is attributed to uncertainty in the interfacial adsorption coefficient for decane.

• Asenath-Smith, E., Lieblappen, R., Taylor, S., Winter, R. R., Melendy Jr., T. D., Moser, R., Haehnel, R. B. 2022. Observation of crack arrest in ice by high aspect ratio particles during uniaxial compression. CRREL Technical Report ERDC/CRREL TR-22-3. (https://www.erdc.usace.army.mil/Media/Publication-Notices/Article/2922956/observation-of-crack-arrest-in-ice-by-high-aspect-ratio-particles-during-uniaxi/)
• Thurston, A. K., Courville, Z. R., Farnsworth, L. B., Lieblappen, R. M., Rosten, S. A., Fegyveresi, J. M., Doherty, S. J., Jones, R. M., Barbato, R. A. 2021. Microscale dynamics between dust and microorganisms in alpine snowpack. CRREL Technical Report ERDC/CRREL TR-20-12. (https://www.erdc.usace.army.mil/Media/Publication-Notices/Article/2594477/microscale-dynamics-between-dust-and-microorganisms-in-alpine-snowpack/)
• Darrow, M. M., Lieblappen, R. M. 2020. Visualizing cation treatment effects on frozen clay soils. Cold Reg. Sci. Technol. 175, 103085. doi:10.1016/j.coldregions.2020.103085. (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165232X19304513)
• Courville, Z. R., Lieblappen, R. M., Thurston, A. K., Barbato, R. A., Fegyveresi, J. M., Farnsworth, L. B., Derry, J., Jones, R. M., Doherty, S. J., Rosten, S. A. 2020. Microorganisms associated with dust on alpine snow. Front. Earth Sci. 8, 122. doi:10.3389/feart.2020.00122. (https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/earth-science/articles/10.3389/feart.2020.00122/full)
• Lieblappen, R., Fegyveresi, J., Courville, Z., Albert, D. 2020. Using ultrasonic waves to determine the microstructure of snow. Front. Earth Sci. 8, 34. doi:10.3389/feart.2020.00034. (https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/earth-science/articles/10.3389/feart.2020.00034/full)
• Frantz, C. M., Light, B., Farley, S. M., Carpenter, S., Lieblappen, R., Courville, Z., Orellana, M., Junge, K. 2019. Physical and Optical Characteristics of Heavily Melted ‘Rotten’ Arctic Sea Ice. Cryosphere. 13, 775-793, doi:10.5194/tc-13-775-2019. (https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/13/775/2019/tc-13-775-2019-assets.html)
• Courville, Z. R., Lieblappen, R. M., Melendy Jr., T. D., Bernier, A. P. 2019. Microstructural characterization of snow compaction related to snow pavements. CRREL Technical Report ERDC/CRREL TR-19-1. (https://erdc-library.erdc.dren.mil/items/81b728f7-a822-4ef8-e053-411ac80adeb3)
• Lieblappen, R., Kumar, D., Pauls, S., Obbard, R. 2018. A Network Model for Characterizing Brine Channels in Sea Ice. Cryosphere. 12, 1013-1026. doi:10.5194/tc-12-1013-2018. (https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/12/1013/2018/)
• Lever, J., Taylor, S., Song, A., Courville, Z., Lieblappen, R., Weale, J. 2017. The Mechanics of Snow Friction as Revealed by Micro-Scale Interface Observations. J. Glaciol. 64 (243), 27-36. doi:10.1017/jog.2017.76. (https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-glaciology/article/mechanics-of-snow-friction-as-revealed-by-microscale-interface-observations/6B93BD1700A1E4E3E56773E2A5455583 )
•  Courville, Z., Lieb-Lappen, R., Claffey, K., Elder, B. 2017. Investigations of skeletal layer microstructure in the context of remote sensing of oil in sea ice. International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings. 2017, 1, 2237-2255. doi: 10.7901/2169-3358-2017.1.2237. (https://meridian.allenpress.com/iosc/article/2017/1/2237/197973/Investigations-of-skeletal-layer-microstructure-in)
• Iverson, N., Lieb-Lappen, R. M., Dunbar, N., Kim, E., Golden, E. J., Obbard, R. W. 2017. The First Physical Evidence of Subglacial Volcanism under the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. Sci. Rep. 7, 11457. doi:10.1038/s41598-017-11515-3. (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-11515-3)
• Lieb-Lappen, R. M., Golden, E. J., Obbard, R. W. 2017. Metrics for Interpreting the Microstructure of Sea Ice using X-Ray Micro-Computed Tomography. Cold Reg. Sci. Technol. 138, 24-35. doi:10.1016/j.coldregions.2017.03.001. (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165232X17301040)
• Obbard, R. W., Lieb-Lappen, R. M., Nordick, K. V., Golden, E. J., Leonard, J. R., Lanzirotti, A., Newville, M. G. 2016. Synchrotron X-Ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy of Salts in Natural Sea Ice. Earth Space Sci. 3. doi: 10.1002/2016EA000172. (https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/2016EA000172)
• Hammonds, K., Lieb-Lappen, R., Baker, I., Wang, X. 2015. Investigating the Thermophysical Properties of the Ice-Snow Interface under a Controlled Temperature Gradient: Part I: Experiments & Observations. Cold Reg. Sci. Technol. 120, 157-167. doi:10.1016/j.coldregions.2015.09.006. (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0165232X15002025)
• Lieb-Lappen, R. M., Obbard, R. W. 2015. The Role of Blowing Snow in the Activation of Bromine over First-Year Antarctic Sea Ice. Atmos. Chem. Phys. 15, 7537-7545. doi:10.5194/acp-15-7537-2015. (https://acp.copernicus.org/articles/15/7537/2015/)
• Hammonds, K., Lieb-Lappen, R., Courville, Z., Song, A. Wang, X., Baker, I. 2014. Laboratory Investigations on the Thermophysical Properties of the Ice-Snow Interface while under a Controlled Temperature Gradient. Proceedings of the International Snow Science Workshop. Banff, Canada. Vol. 29, pp. 35-42.
• Lieb-Lappen, R. M. 2014. Cover Art for Special Issue from the 13th International Conference on the Physics and Chemistry of Ice, Journal of Physical Chemistry B, November 26, 118, 47, Cover. (https://pubs.acs.org/toc/jpcbfk/118/47)
• Nghiem, S. V., Shepson, P. B., Simpson, W., Perovich, D. K., Sturm, M., Douglas, T., Rigor, I. G., Clemente-Colón, P. , Burrows, J. P., Richter, A. , Steffen, A., Staebler, R., Obrist, D., Moore, C., Bottenheim, J., Platt, U., Pöhler, D., General, S., Zielcke, J. Fuentes, J. D., Hall, D. K., Kaleschke, L., Woods, J., Hager, C., Smith, J., Sweet, C. R., Pratt, K., Custard, K., Peterson, P., Walsh, S., Gleason, E., Saiet, E., Webster, M., Lieb-Lappen, R., Linder, C., Nuemann, G. 2013. Arctic Sea Ice Reduction and Tropospheric Chemical Processes. Proceedings of the Fourth International Conference on Bioenvironment, Biodiversity and Renewable Energies: BIONATURE 2013. Lisbon, Portugal.
• Lieb-Lappen, R. M., Danforth, C. M. 2012. Aggressive Shadowing of a Low-Dimensional Model of Atmospheric Dynamics. Physica D. 241, 637-648. doi:10.1016/j.physd.2011.12.001. (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0167278911003411)
• Costanza-Robinson, M. S., Harrold, K. H., Lieb-Lappen, R. M. 2008. X-ray Microtomography Determination of Air-Water Interfacial Area-Water Saturation Relationships in Sandy Porous Media. Environ. Sci. Technol. 42 (8), 2949-2956. doi:10.1021/es072080d. (https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/es072080d)