Centre for Earth Observation Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada Earth Observation Group, Department of Physics and Technology, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Norway Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling, Department of Earth Sciences, University College London, London, UK
Vishnu Nandan
Centre for Earth Observation Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada Cryosphere Climate Research Group, Department of Geography, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada H2O Geomatics Inc, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, Amrita University, Kollam, India
Centre for Earth Observation Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling, Department of Earth Sciences, University College London, London, UK National Snow and Ice Data Center, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
Rosemary Willatt
Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling, Department of Earth Sciences, University College London, London, UK Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling, Department of Geography and Environmental Sciences, University of Northumbria, UK
Monojit Saha
Centre for Earth Observation Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
John Yackel
Cryosphere Climate Research Group, Department of Geography, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling, Department of Earth Sciences, University College London, London, UK British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, UK
Salt is often present in the snow overlying seasonal sea ice, and has profound thermodynamic and electromagnetic effects. However, its provenance and behaviour within the snow remain uncertain. We describe two investigations tracing upward brine movement in snow: one conducted in the laboratory and one in the field. The laboratory experiments involved the addition of dyed brine to the base of terrestrial snow samples, with subsequent wicking being measured. Our field experiment involved dye being added directly (without brine) to bare sea-ice and lake ice surfaces, with snow then accumulating on top over several days. On the sea ice, the dye migrated upwards into the snow by up to 5 cm as the snow's basal layer became more salty, whereas no migration occurred in our control experiment over non-saline lake ice. This occurred in relatively dry snowpacks where brine took up $< 6\%$ of the snow's calculated pore volume, suggesting pore saturation is not required for upward salt transport. Our results highlight the potential role of microstructural parameters beyond those currently retrievable with penetrometry, and the potential value of longitudinal, process-based field studies of young snowpacks.