Abrupt transition from slow to fast melting of ice

Abstract

How fast ice melts in turbulent flows is key to many natural and industrial processes, most notably the melting of ice in polar regions. To better understand the physical mechanics quantitatively we examine the lateral melting behavior through numerical simulations and theory in a vertical convection system of ice and fresh water. We find that the melting rate of ice as a function of increasing heating temperature undergoes an abrupt transition from a slow- to a fast-melting state, contrary to the intuition of a gradual transition. The abrupt transition of the ice melting rate is due to the emergence of a reversed buoyant flow, due to the density anomaly of water near the melting point.