Water-equivalent thickness ($h_w={\rho }_i{h}_i/{\rho }_{w,\mathrm{ref}}$)

The water-equivalent thickness expresses an ice mass per area as a depth of water at a declared reference density. With $m_i={\rho }_i{h}_i$ per area, $h_w=m_i/{\rho }_{w,\mathrm{ref}}$. Ice at $900\mathrm{kg}{\mathrm{m}}^{-3}$ and thickness $2.44\mathrm{m}$ has about $2.20\mathrm{m}$ water equivalent at a fresh-water reference density of $1000\mathrm{kg}{\mathrm{m}}^{-3}$. The depth of seawater consumed at $1025\mathrm{kg}{\mathrm{m}}^{-3}$ is instead about $2.14\mathrm{m}$. A reference depth must not replace ice thickness in an ice-volume calculation or the liquid mass removed in brine rejection.