If an oil spill were to occur under the sea in the winter drift ice season, the spilled oil would spread along the lower surface of the ice. In this case the spilled oil is thought to gradually settle in the cavities and gaps under ice sheets. Accordingly, the recovery of spilled oil becomes very difficult. However, the oil can be separated from those cavities by introducing an air layer between the oil and the ice floe. But these gaps between ice floes are usually thin and weak. This paper examines a characteristics of air layer which formed under the lower surface of the gaps of ice floes. The experiments on bearing capacity of ice between gaps of ice floes against the pressure of air layer and characteristics on heat transfer of ice and air layer were conducted. The experiments showed that the ice between gaps of ice floes could be stable against air pressure, and the air layer insulated the heat transfer through ice and saline so that growth of ice would be prevented.
