Brinicle
A brinicle is a column of ice that forms in seawater.[1] The name is a combination of the words "brine", which means saltwater, and "icicle".[2] A brinicle starts forming from the top of the water down.[3] A brinicle freezes everything in its way as it forms.[3] It can reach the bottom of the ocean, where it can also form ice on the seabed.[4] It is dangerous to sea stars and sea urchins living on the bottom of the ocean.[4] They move too slowly to get out of the way.[4] They are very rare and only occur in places where it is very cold, such as Antarctica.[5]
Brinicle Media
Brinicle formation; (1) when water freezes, most impurities are repelled from water crystals, sea ice is very porous, cavities between ice contain brine and saline water, (2) the surrounding water becomes more saline as concentrated brine leaks out. (3) Brine-rich water remains liquid, with the increase in density causes this amount of water to sink.
References
- ↑ Douglas Main (April 26, 2013). "How Eerie Sea Ice 'Brinicles' Form". LiveScience. Retrieved February 6, 2017.
- ↑ "brinicle". Oxford Dictionaries. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on September 25, 2016. Retrieved February 6, 2017.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "This Might Be The Most Bizarre Underwater Phenomena You Will Ever See. The Ice Finger Of Death!". Unique Facts. Archived from the original on April 12, 2016. Retrieved February 6, 2017.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Becky Evans (25 April 2013). "'Icicles of death' discovered deep in polar oceans could hold clues to the origins of first life on Earth". Daily Mail. Retrieved February 6, 2017.
- ↑ Jeffrey Marlow (May 7, 2013). "Swimming Beneath the Brinicles, in Antarctica". Wired. Condé Nast. Retrieved February 6, 2017.
