Using electron backscatter diffraction to measure full crystallographic orientation in Antarctic land-fast sea ice

Journal of Glaciology (2018)

We have mapped the full crystallographic orientation of sea ice using electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD).

For the first time, this study shows the a-axes of columnar ice (CI) and platelet ice (PI) are not random. In CI the misorientation angle distribution from random pairs and neighbour pairs of grains are indistinguishable, indicating the distributions are a consequence of crystal preferred orientation.

Geometric selection during growth will develop the a-axis alignment in CI if ice growth in water is fastest parallel to the a-axis. In contrast, PI random-pair and neighbour-pair misorientation distributions are significantly different, suggesting mechanical rotation of crystals at grain boundaries.