At the temperatures in the Arctic Ocean mixed layer during lead-induced surface water cooling, convection is primarily salinity controlled owing to continuous brine expulsion from newly forming ice. A nonlinear, time-dependent, convective model has been developed that simulates existing field data obtained on the circulatioan characteristics under and near a refreezing lead. The model uses typical Arctic Ocean ambient conditions as initial input and allows for imposition of varying geostrophic currents. The zero geostrophic current (free convective case) model output for typical lead surface salt input resulted in maximum horizontal current velocities of 0.05 m s-1, eddy viscosities on the order of 0.01 m2 s-1, average salt fluxes beneath the lead of 3.3¿10-5 kg m-2 s-1, and a subsequent increase in the depth of the mixed layer. The circulation cells are symmetric with respect to the lead axis. Imposition of a cross lead constant geostrophic current shows a resultant circulation cell asymmetry associated with increased salt advection in a forced convection regime.