Kitsel's Project Page

Who:  I am an only child, vegetarian, as well as an avid history nerd and recovering swimmer who enjoys watching John Oliver and the Irish comedy group Foil Arms and Hog. I am a staunch supporter of coffee and I’d like to thank it for giving me a boost whenever I feel low.

My scientific/engineering interests:  Generally, I am excited to learn about the unknown. I hope to minor in medieval history and do a study abroad in Europe before I graduate. I have to attribute my love of learning to my parents as well as my high school chemistry and calculus teachers.

Academic goals:  Currently, I am majoring in material science engineering, however, I have undeniable interests in all fields of science.

Career goals:  After college, I want to pursue a PhD and search for that elusive job that pays me to do research in the Great Outdoors.

Sea ice, or frozen sea water, forms seasonally in Earth’s polar extremities. From a material perspective, it is a polycrystalline composite of pure ice with liquid brine and air inclusions, in contrast to glacial ice on land, which is a polycrystalline material composed primarily of freshwater ice with minute inclusions of air. The crystalline crystalline structure of sea ice is a fickle creature, incredibly dependent on the conditions under which it forms. For instance, columnar ice forms long crystals under equanimous conditions whereas granular ice, which freezes under turbulent conditions, forms spherical, grain-like crystals. Because of the variation in physical structure and related brine inclusion geometry, these two types of ice can have vastly different fluid and nutrient flow, mechanical and thermal transportproperties.

Rigorous mathematical methods have been developed bounding the electromagnetic complex permittivity. However, for polycrystalline materials, there has been little work done on the inverse problem of distinguishing columnar and granular ice from electromagnetic data. Using the analytic continuation method, a powerful mathematical tool, to represent the complex permittivity of the different structures,  we will be able to distinguish the geometry of columnar and granular ice. The distinction between these two can provide important information about the biological, thermal and fluid transport systems that occur within the ice, helping to further improve the current models for the melting of the ice pack. This method may provide insight as to the interactions between the formation of sea ice and ocean dynamics as global warming causes more frequent violent storms. It could also be applicable to further study of extraterrestrial ice on the icy moons of Jupiter and Saturn.

The Long and Short of the Matter: Distinguishing Between Columnar and Granular Sea Ice Using Remote Sensing Download The Long and Short of the Matter: Distinguishing Between Columnar and Granular Sea Ice Using Remote Sensing