Seasonal ice is a transient phase of water that forms, persists, and melts on an annual or sub-annual cycle in response to periodic temperature and radiative forcing variations. As a substance, it commonly occurs as freshwater or saline ice with physical properties (crystal structure, brine volume, density, and mechanical strength) strongly modulated by temperature and impurity content. In cryospheric and planetary science, seasonal ice includes lake, river, and sea ice, as well as frost and snow that undergo regular phase transitions, influencing surface energy balance, gas exchange, and hydrological or climatic processes during their recurrent formation–melting cycles.
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