Review of Ice Characteristics in Ship-Iceberg Collisions

The International Ice Patrol (IIP) was established after the Titanic collided with an iceberg off the eastern coast of Canada in 1912 and sank, killing more than 1,500 people. Recently, the IIP has analyzed satellite images and provided safe operation information to vessels by tracking the occurrence and movement of icebergs. A large number of recent arctic studies mainly deal with sea ice formed by freezing seawater related to sea routes and resource development. The iceberg that collided with the Titanic was land-based ice that dislodged from a glacier and fell into the sea. The properties of these two types of ice are different. In addition, vessels operating in ice-covered waters such as the Arctic sea have an ice-breaking function or minimum ice-strengthened functions. Ships operating on transatlantic routes including the eastern coast of Canada do not necessarily require ice-strengthened functions. Hundreds to thousands of icebergs are discovered each year near the area where the Titanic sank. In this study, the status of ship-iceberg collision accidents was investigated to provide useful information to researchers, and the physical and mechanical characteristics of icebergs were investigated and summarized.

Introducing the bromide/alkalinity ratio for a follow-up discussion on "Precipitation of salts in freezing seawater and ozone depletion events: a status report", by Morin et al., published in Atmos. Chem. Phys., 8, 7317–7324, 2008

Sander et al. (2006) proposed that CaCO3 precipitation can be an important factor in triggering tropospheric ozone depletion events. Recently, Morin et al. (2008b) presented calculations with the FREZCHEM model and concluded that their results and interpretation cast doubt on the validity of this hypothesis. In this joint publication, we have re-analyzed the implications of the FREZCHEM results and show how they can be reconciled with the proposal of Sander et al. (2006). The chemical predictions of both approaches are consistent. Although an interpretation solely based on the alkalinity change in the brine does not support the conclusion of Sander et al. (2006), we show that the bromide/alkalinity ratio (which increases during the cooling of the brine) can be used as an indicator of the potential for triggering bromine explosions.

Introducing the bromide/alkalinity ratio for a follow-up discussion on "Precipitation of salts in freezing seawater and ozone depletion events: a status report", by Morin et al., published in Atmos. Chem. Phys., 8, 7317–7324, 2008

Sander et al. (2006) proposed that CaCO3 precipitation can be an important factor in triggering tropospheric ozone depletion events. Recently, Morin et al. (2008b) presented calculations with the FREZCHEM model and concluded that their results and interpretation cast doubt on the validity of this hypothesis. In this joint publication, we have re-analyzed the implications of the FREZCHEM results and show how they can be reconciled with the proposal of Sander et al. (2006). The chemical predictions of both approaches are consistent. Although an interpretation solely based on the alkalinity change in the brine does not support the conclusion of Sander et al. (2006), we show that the bromide/alkalinity ratio (which increases during the cooling of the brine) can be used as an indicator of the potential for triggering bromine explosions.

Precipitation of salts in freezing seawater and ozone depletion events: a status report

In springtime, the polar marine boundary layer exhibits drastic ozone depletion events (ODEs), associated with elevated bromine oxide (BrO) mixing ratios. The current interpretation of this peculiar chemistry requires the existence of acid and bromide-enriched surfaces to heterogeneously promote and sustain ODEs. Sander et al. (2006) have proposed that calcium carbonate (CaCO3) precipitation in any seawater-derived medium could potentially decrease its alkalinity, making it easier for atmospheric acids such as HNO3 and H2SO4 to acidify it. We performed simulations using the state-of-the-art FREZCHEM model, capable of handling the thermodynamics of concentrated electrolyte solutions, to try to reproduce their results, and found that when ikaite (CaCO3·6H2O) rather than calcite (CaCO3) precipitates, there is no such effect on alkalinity. Given that ikaite has recently been identified in Antarctic brines (Dieckmann et al., 2008), our results show that great caution should be exercised when using the results of Sander et al. (2006), and reveal the urgent need of laboratory investigations on the actual link(s) between bromine activation and the pH of the surfaces on which it is supposed to take place at subzero temperature. In addition, the evolution of the Cl/Br ratio in the brine during freezing was computed using FREZCHEM, taking into account Br substitutions in Cl–containing salts.

Precipitation of salts in freezing seawater and ozone depletion events: a status report

In springtime, the polar marine boundary layer exhibits drastic ozone depletion events (ODEs), associated with elevated bromine oxide (BrO) mixing ratios. The current interpretation of this peculiar chemistry requires the existence of acid and bromide-enriched surfaces to heterogeneously promote and sustain ODEs. In a recent study, Sander et al. (2006) have proposed that calcium carbonate (CaCO3) precipitation in any seawater-derived medium could potentially decrease its alkalinity, making it easier for atmospheric acids such as HNO3 and H2SO4 to acidify it. We performed simulations using the state-of-the-art FREZCHEM model, capable of handling concentrated electrolyte solutions, to check the preliminary results of Sander et al. (2006). We show that the alkalinity of brine is indeed reduced to about half and a third of the initial alkalinity of seawater, at 263 K and 253 K, respectively. Such levels of alkalinity depletion have been shown to speed-up the onset of ODEs (Sander et al., 2006; Piot and von Glasow, 2008a), suggesting that carbonate precipitation could well be a key phenomenon linked with ODEs, in polar regions but also in other cold areas, such as altitude salt lakes. In addition, the evolution of the Cl/Br ratio in the brine during freezing was computed using FREZCHEM, taking into account Br substitutions in Cl–containing salts.

RELEASE OF ULTRAVIOLET-ABSORBING MATERIAL FROM ESCHERICHIA COLI AT SUBZERO TEMPERATURES

When cells of Escherichia coli were suspended in dilute artificial seawater and cooled to various subzero temperatures, a maximum lethal effect occurred around −40 °C. In addition, rapid cooling to −26 °C of bacteria, suspended in concentrated, non-freezing seawater caused a pronounced decrease in viability ("cold shock"). The loss in viability was accompanied by a proportional release from the cells of ultraviolet-absorbing material and by an increase in the ribose and organic phosphorus contents of the suspending liquid. It seems possible that the released material, at least partly, consisted of nucleotides or nucleic acids.