If you've accidentally taken a sip of sea water or had to gargle with salt water, you've probably realized that freshwater and saltwater have some pretty important differences. These differences exist not only when these waters are liquid, but also when they freeze. In this experiment, we will look at one major difference between frozen freshwater and frozen saltwater.
As you read in the Frozen Life companion story, when sea ice forms, freshwater freezes and leaves behind a concentrated salt solution called brine. This brine is found in pockets throughout the ice. Brine pockets allow organisms that get trapped in the ice to avoid freezing and survive until the next spring. The pockets are small and isolated in winter, but in spring, as the ice begins to warm, the brine pockets get bigger and combine with other pockets to form channels which allow the organisms to move throughout the ice. You can explore the differences in channels between seasons in our channel maze.
In this experiment we are going to compare the difference between regular freshwater ice (the kind you would put in your drink) and sea ice. To do this we will create fresh and saltwater ice, then put a couple drops of dye on each type of ice and compare what happens. What do you think is going to happen? Do you think the dye will act the same in both ice types?
This should ideally be done over two days. The first four steps in the Procedure should be done on Day 1, and the remaining steps should be completed on Day 2.
Using your observations, decide whether your predictions were correct (what happened and did the dye act the same in both ice types?). Make a conclusion about what you think is happening based off of what you saw. Then, when you're done, you can move on to the next step.
The way the food coloring disperses in the ice lets you see the difference between sea and freshwater ice.
Take a look at these two ice core sections. The one on the left is ice made from fresh water, and the one on the right is ice made of salt water. What are some of the differences you notice in this image?
Sea ice (on the right) forms brine channels which food coloring is able to penetrate. This turns the inside of the ice the same color as the dye.
The freshwater ice (on the left) is solid all the way through and has no channels. This results in food coloring pooling on top or run down the side of the ice.
Kyle Kinzler is a graduate student at Arizona State University and is working on his Masters thesis focusing on Arctic sea ice algae with Dr. Susanne Neuer. To learn more about Dr. Neuer's research, visit What Lies Beneath.
Kyle Kinzler. (2014, July 15). When Water Gets Icy. ASU - Ask A Biologist. Retrieved September 27, 2024 from https://askabiologist.asu.edu/experiments/when-water-gets-icy
Kyle Kinzler. "When Water Gets Icy". ASU - Ask A Biologist. 15 July, 2014. https://askabiologist.asu.edu/experiments/when-water-gets-icy
Kyle Kinzler. "When Water Gets Icy". ASU - Ask A Biologist. 15 Jul 2014. ASU - Ask A Biologist, Web. 27 Sep 2024. https://askabiologist.asu.edu/experiments/when-water-gets-icy
Download the When Water Gets Icy experiment packet.
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