Lateral dispersion of tracers released into cylindrical holes in the upper 0.4 m of a level white ice cover on day 164 (left) and day 197 (right)

Note how low permeability of ice cover limits dispersion in early-melt-season ice shown at left.
Later in the melt season permeability increases substantially, allowing for dispersion and advection of tracers. In the example shown at right (in a level floe approximately 20 m away from the floe edge), advection of the tracer maximum out of the central location may in part be driven by pressure gradients influenced by fluid drag at the floe wall. Note in particular the difference in time scale between the two experiments.