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Ice needles weave patterns of stones in freezing landscapes.

ABSTRACT: Patterned ground, defined by the segregation of stones in soil according to size, is one of the most strikingly self-organized characteristics of polar and high-alpine landscapes. The presence of such patterns on Mars has been proposed as evidence for the past presence of surface liquid water. Despite their ubiquity, the dearth of quantitative field data on the patterns and their slow dynamics have hindered fundamental understanding of the pattern formation mechanisms. Here, we use laboratory experiments to show that stone transport is strongly dependent on local stone concentration and the height of ice needles, leading effectively to pattern formation driven by needle ice activity. Through numerical simulations, theory, and experiments, we show that the nonlinear amplification of long wavelength instabilities leads to self-similar dynamics that resemble phase separation patterns in binary alloys, characterized by scaling laws and spatial structure formation. Our results illustrate insights to be gained into patterns in landscapes by viewing the pattern formation through the lens of phase separation. Moreover, they may help interpret spatial structures that arise on diverse planetary landscapes, including ground patterns recently examined using the rover Curiosity on Mars.

SUBMITTER: Li A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8501760 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Ice needles weave patterns of stones in freezing landscapes.

Li Anyuan A Matsuoka Norikazu N Niu Fujun F Chen Jing J Ge Zhenpeng Z Hu Wensi W Li Desheng D Hallet Bernard B van de Koppel Johan J Goldenfeld Nigel N Liu Quan-Xing QX

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 20210930 40

Patterned ground, defined by the segregation of stones in soil according to size, is one of the most strikingly self-organized characteristics of polar and high-alpine landscapes. The presence of such patterns on Mars has been proposed as evidence for the past presence of surface liquid water. Despite their ubiquity, the dearth of quantitative field data on the patterns and their slow dynamics have hindered fundamental understanding of the pattern formation mechanisms. Here, we use laboratory ex ...[more]

PMID: 34593647

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Project description:This paper introduces hands-on curricular modules integrated with research in atmospheric ice nucleation, which is an important phenomenon potentially influencing global climate change. The primary goal of this work is to promote meaningful laboratory exercises to enhance the competence of students in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) by applying an appropriate methodology to laboratory ice nucleation measurements. To achieve this goal, three laboratory modules were developed with 18 STEM interns and tested by 28 students in a classroom setting. Students were trained to experimentally simulate atmospheric ice nucleation and cloud droplet freezing. For practical training, this work utilized a simple freezing assay device called the West Texas Cryogenic Refrigerator Applied to Freezing Test (WT-CRAFT) system. More specifically, students were provided with hands-on lessons to calibrate WT-CRAFT with deionized water and apply analytical techniques to understand the physicochemical properties of bulk water and droplet freezing. All procedures to implement the developed modules were typewritten during this process, and shareable read-ahead exploration materials were developed and compiled as a curricular product. Additionally, students conducted complementary analyses to identify possible catalysts of heterogeneous freezing in the water. The water analyses included: pH, conductivity, surface tension, and electron microscopy-energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. During the data and image analysis process, students learned how to analyze droplet freezing spectra as a function of temperature, screen and interpret the data, perform uncertainty analyses, and estimate ice nucleation efficiency using computer programs. Based on the formal program assessment of learning outcomes and direct (yet deidentified) student feedback, we broadly achieved our goals to (1) improve their problem-solving skills by combining multidisciplinary science and math skills and (2) disseminate data and results with variability and uncertainty. The developed modules can be applied at any institute to advance undergraduate and graduate curricula in environmental science.

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Ice needles weave patterns of stones in freezing landscapes.

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Ice needles weave patterns of stones in freezing landscapes.

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