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"Mathematician on Ice," by Ivars Peterson. Science News, 12 August 2000, pages 106-108.
Applied mathematician Kenneth Golden braves the polar elements to observe in reality what his mathematics models: Antarctic sea ice. Because its crystalline structure can't incorporate salt molecules, the sea ice is riddled with pockets of briny water and air. When the temperature rises enough---to above - 5 degrees Centigrade---these pockets of brine grow larger and connect into channels, eventually creating geyser-like spouts of liquid above the ice surface. Golden recently completed his fourth voyage to the Antarctic to determine how the brine channels form and to improve his model of the brine transport process. Fully understanding sea ice structure and change would lead to more accurate climate models and a better understanding of global climate change.
--- Kathryn Leonard
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