The Physics Of Ice

Ice is one of the most abundant and environmentally important materials on Earth, and its unique and intriguing physical properties present fascinating areas of study for a wide variety of researchers. This book is about the physics of ice, by which is meant the properties of the material itself and the ways in which these properties are interpreted in terms of water molecules and crystalline structure. Although ice has a simple crystal structure its hydrogen bonding results in unique properties, which continue to be the subject of active research. In this book the physical principles underlying the properties of ice are carefully developed at a level aimed at pure and applied researchers in the field. Important topics like current understandings of the electrical, mechanical, and surface properties, and the occurrence of many different crystalline phases are developed in a coherent way for the first time. An extensive reference list and numerous illustrations add to the usefulness and readability of the text.

This monograph provides an account of the physics and chemistry of ice. Informed by research from physicists, chemists and glaciologists, the book places emphasis on the basic physical properties of ice, the modes of nucleation and growth of ice, and the interpretation of these phenomena in terms of molecular structure.

The Physics of Ice covers the state of knowledge regarding the structure, properties, occurrence, and movement of ice. This book is composed of eight chapters, and begins with an introduction and in the fundamental aspects of ice, including pure water freezing, circulation, occurrence, classification, and importance of ice. The subsequent chapters describe the properties, structure, freezing, and composition of sea ice and ice drift. These topics are followed by discussions on the crystallographic features, and mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties of ice. The concluding chapter exam ...

The Physics of Ice covers the state of knowledge regarding the structure, properties, occurrence, and movement of ice. This book is composed of eight chapters, and begins with an introduction and in the fundamental aspects of ice, including pure water freezing, circulation, occurrence, classification, and importance of ice. The subsequent chapters describe the properties, structure, freezing, and composition of sea ice and ice drift. These topics are followed by discussions on the crystallographic features, and mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties of ice. The concluding chapter examines the factor influencing ice growth and decay. This book is directed toward physicists and researchers in ice-related fields.

Exploring the science in George R. R. Martin’s fantastical world, from the physics of an ice wall to the genetics of the Targaryens and Lannisters Game of Thrones is a fantasy that features a lot of made-up science—fabricated climatology (when is winter coming?), astronomy, metallurgy, chemistry, and biology. Most fans of George R. R. Martin’s fantastical world accept it all as part of the magic. A trained scientist, watching the fake science in Game of Thrones, might think, “But how would it work?” In Fire, Ice, and Physics, Rebecca Thompson turns a scientist’s eye on Game of Thrones, exploring, among other things, the science of an ice wall, the genetics of the Targaryen and Lannister families, and the biology of beheading. Thompson, a PhD in physics and an enthusiastic Game of Thrones fan, uses the fantasy science of the show as a gateway to some interesting real science, introducing GOT fandom to a new dimension of appreciation. Thompson starts at the beginning, with winter, explaining seasons and the very elliptical orbit of the Earth that might cause winter to come (or not come). She tells us that ice can behave like ketchup, compares regular steel to Valyrian steel, explains that dragons are “bats, but with fire,” and considers Targaryen inbreeding. Finally she offers scientific explanations of the various types of fatal justice meted out, including beheading, hanging, poisoning (reporting that the effects of “the Strangler,” administered to Joffrey at the Purple Wedding, resemble the effects of strychnine), skull crushing, and burning at the stake. Even the most faithful Game of Thrones fans will learn new and interesting things about the show from Thompson’s entertaining and engaging account. Fire, Ice, and Physics is an essential companion for all future bingeing.

Originally published in 1970, this book gives a comprehensive account of the properties of ice, the connections between them and the way in which they derive from the structure of the water molecule and the small mass of the proton. The properties are discussed in terms of quantum mechanics and solid state theory with emphasis on physical principles rather than on theoretical models. The book is intended as an exemplification of the principles of chemical physics for beginning graduate students in physics of physical chemistry and as a text and reference book on the properties of ice for research workers in glaciology, cloud physics, meteorology and associated fields. Although the author assumes a familiarity with fundamental physics, he has taken some trouble to make his account self-contained by reference to the underlying principles in every case or by more detailed discussion where the application is not a standard one.

This updated and expanded version of the second edition explains the physical principles underlying the behaviour of glaciers and ice sheets. The text has been revised in order to keep pace with the extensive developments which have occurred since 1981. A new chapter, of major interest, concentrates on the deformation of subglacial till. The book concludes with a chapter on information regarding past climate and atmospheric composition obtainable from ice cores.