Ice melting
When we think of melting ice, we often think about images of polar bears stranded on a shrinking glacier or penguins on a floating ice sheet. However, the ice sheets that cover our planet’s oceans and continents aren’t just home to polar bears and penguins, they contribute to global sea level rise and climate change.
This simple activity can help students understand how the location of ice melt and the amount of ice lost affects sea level. It also demonstrates how ice melt works and introduces the concept of the cryosphere – the icy part of our Earth.
The primary source of energy for melting ice is the Sun’s warmth. But there are other sources of energy that also contribute to ice loss such as water in the bottom of glacier ice, surface waters near the ice edge, and shear forces caused by the movement of the tectonic plates underneath the ice. These processes are more complex than simply warm air heating the ice, but they can cause the ice to melt and even break apart.
There are many different types of ice melt products, and each one has a unique lowest effective temperature range. It’s important to understand these differences so that you can select the best ice melt product for your facility. Other considerations include safety (read and follow product instructions), environmental impact, and the ability to work in cold temperatures. Many ice melt products contain sodium chloride (salt), which can be damaging to plants when applied in excess and can corrode metal railings and grates under the ice. Other products like magnesium chloride and urea are safer for the environment but they are less effective in cold temperatures. Blended ice melt products combine the best attributes of each compound to provide optimal performance.