How much can we get from Gade's mixing line?

Gade’s meltwater mixing line theory is consistent with numerous under-ice ocean observations. However, it is built on an assumption that is difficult to test with field measurements, especially near the ice boundary, which is that the effective salt and temperature diffusivities are equal. In this presentation, I will discuss the validity of Gade’s mixing line theory and show how it can be used to predict melt rates, using results from direct numerical simulations of a canonical model for externally forced ice-ocean boundary layers. I will first demonstrate that the effective salt and temperature diffusivities are approximately equal across most of the boundary layer in the well mixed regime. Then, I will show how knowledge of one turbulent diffusivity (salt, temperature, or thermal driving) can be combined with knowledge of one vertical profile in the bulk (salt, temperature, or thermal driving) to predict the heat and salt fluxes at the ice-ocean boundary.