Brinicle Explained

Brinicle forms a downward ice chimney.

Brinicles form beneath sea ice in polar ocean waters.

Sea ice freezes and forces salt brine out as cold water.

Cold, salty brine sinks like a plume, freezing seawater around.

Brinicles look like hollow tubes enclosing supercooled saline water.

Brine channels in sea ice let salty water escape and sink down.

Salty brine lowers freezing point, so it stays liquid and sinks.

Ice walls thicken as brinicle grows, making it more stable.

Brinicles reach seafloor if water is shallow and currents are calm.

Brinicles freeze creatures on seafloor in expanding ice webs.

Ice stalactites form beneath developing sea ice.

BBC filmed brinicles for the first time in 2011.

Researchers created the first brinicle model in 2023.

Brinicle is a downward-growing hollow ice chimney underwater.