Image analysis of sea-ice thin sections: a step towards automated texture classification

The texture of a material is closely connected to both its development and its properties. Aided by fully automated image-processing techniques developed for a simple PC-based system, we extract textural information from sea-ice thin sections. As a quantifier of mean size and orientation of grains, the “contrast gradient” has been defined. The skewness of the chord-size distribution aptly describes the grain-size distribution. Through a combination of these two parameters, granular and columnar textures can be distinguished. Samples of mixed columnar/granular texture may be further specified through their fractal properties. Fully automated techniques may be of use due to their objective scrutiny and their ability to draw information from large databases. In addition, they allow for highly specific descriptions of texture and may further the understanding of its development.