A review of sea ice density

Abstract The density of sea ice is an important property in many applications. However, due to its multi-phase composition of solid ice, solid salts, liquids and gas, the definition and measurement of density is not straightforward. The reported values vary over a wide range from 0.72 Mg m−3 to 0.94 Mg m−3, with an average of approximately 0.91 Mg m−3. The reasons for the spread are partly real, and partly a function of the test technique used for determining the density. Accurate measurements which represent the in situ density of first-year sea ice range from 0.84 to 0.91 Mg m−3 for the ice above the waterline, and 0.90 to 0.94 Mg m−3 for the ice below the waterline.