Self-Propulsion of floating ice blocks caused by melting in water

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that asymmetric floating ice blocks can self-propel due to buoyancy-driven currents caused by melting, with the motion influenced by shape, temperature, and salinity, relevant to iceberg dynamics.

Contribution

It introduces a new model explaining how melting-induced buoyancy flows generate propulsion in asymmetric ice blocks, applicable to both freshwater and saltwater environments.

Findings

Ice blocks move opposite to gravity-driven currents.

Speed depends on shape, temperature, and inclination.

Salinity does not significantly alter propulsion direction.

Abstract

We show that floating ice blocks with asymmetric shapes can self-propel with significant speeds due to buoyancy driven currents caused by melting. In water baths with temperatures between $10\,^\circ$C and $30\,^\circ$C, model right-angle ice wedges are found to move in the direction opposite to the gravity current which descends along the longest inclined side. We describe the measured speed as a function of the length and angle of the inclined side, and the temperature of the bath in terms of a propulsion model which incorporates the cooling of the surrounding fluid by the melting of ice. The heat pulled from the surrounding liquid by the melting ice block generates a thermal convection flow, leading to momentum exchange and to a net propulsion force. The translation velocity is explained by balancing the propulsion force by drag. We further show that the ice block moves robustly in a saltwater bath with ocean-like salinity and maintains the same direction of motion as in freshwater. A simplified model is further developed to describe the propulsion of asymmetric ice blocks in saltwater, incorporating the effects of rising meltwater and the sinking of the surrounding bath water due to cooling. For sufficiently large temperature, we find that the cooling-induced sinking flow generates a stronger force than the upward flow from the meltwater. Consequently, the net propulsion force is in the same direction and nearly the same magnitude as that observed in freshwater. These findings suggest that melting-driven propulsion may be relevant to the motion of icebergs in sufficiently warm oceanic environments.