Onset of convective instabilities in under-ice melt ponds.

The onset of double-diffusive natural convection in under-ice melt ponds is investigated through a linear stability analysis. The three-layer configuration is composed by a fluid layer (melt pond) overlying a saturated porous medium (ice matrix), which in turn overlies another fluid layer (under-ice melt pond). Water density inversion is taken into account by adopting a density profile with a quadratic temperature dependence and a linear concentration dependence. We show that the key parameter affecting stability is the depth of the ice matrix, while the depths of the upper and lower fluid layers play a marginal role. A Hopf bifurcation is observed in the whole range of parameters studied, and the size of the convection cells depends on ice permeability. The influence of the external temperature gradient is investigated by means of the definition of an extra thermal parameter accounting for the relative position of the density maximum. It is shown that convection is favored by larger temperature gradients, which occur during Arctic summer.