Ice is one of the most abundant and environmentally important materials on Earth, and its unique and intriguing physical properties present fascinating areas of study. This book takes as its subject the physics of ice: the properties of the material itself and the ways in which these properties are interpreted in terms of water molecules and crystalline structure. Although ice has a simple crystal structure its hydrogen bonding results in unique properties, which continue to be the subject of active research. An understanding of these properties is essential in fields such as glaciology, ice m ... More

Ice is one of the most abundant and environmentally important materials on Earth, and its unique and intriguing physical properties present fascinating areas of study. This book takes as its subject the physics of ice: the properties of the material itself and the ways in which these properties are interpreted in terms of water molecules and crystalline structure. Although ice has a simple crystal structure its hydrogen bonding results in unique properties, which continue to be the subject of active research. An understanding of these properties is essential in fields such as glaciology, ice mechanics, ice adhesion, the dating of ice cores in Antarctica and Greenland, meteorology, thunderstorm electricity, and the study of comets or the icy moons of the outer planets in the solar system. In this book the physical principles underlying the properties of ice are carefully developed. Much work on important topics such as the current understanding of the electrical, mechanical, and surface properties of ice, or the occurrence of many different crystalline phases, are developed.