Arctic Sea Ice of Various Ages: I. Ultimate Strength

Abstract

Abstract A comparison of polar ice (several years old) with biennial ice (between one and two years old) was made in the field at lat. 79°N., long. 104° W. Vertical cores were extracted from the ice cover and sectioned. Their ultimate tensile strengths were measured by the ring-tensile method. Supporting measurements were made of the salinity, density, and crystal structure of the ice. Tensile strength values averaged 6 per cent higher for the polar ice and 21 per cent higher for the biennial ice than comparable results for annual sea ice. A few horizontal cores of biennial ice were analysed similarly with inconclusive results.