Why does a thin wing accumulate more ice than a thick wing?

Question

I know that on an aeroplane, the rate of catch depends on the thinness of the wing, a thinner wing developing more ice. Why does this happen considering that a thick wing is so much fatter (there exposing more surface area) than a thin wing or the tailplane?

Answer 1

thinner wing loses heat faster due to less mass to retain frictional heat from the air.

Answer 2

The airspeed is greater passing over the thicker wing, making it harder for the water to accumulate and freeze.

Answer 3

The size of droplets  affects the rate of catch. Small drops tend to follow the airflow and are carried around the wing. Large, heavy drops tend to strike the wing. When a small drop does hit, it will spread back over the wing only a small distance. The large drop spreads farther. As for airspeed, the number of droplets struck by the aircraft in a certain time increases as the airspeed increases. The curvature of the leading edge of the wing also has an effect on the rate of catch. Thin wings catch more droplets than do thick wings. The rate of catch is, therefore, greatest for an aircraft with thin wings flying at high speed through a cloud with large droplets and a high liquid water content.

Answer 4

A thinner wing would offer a smaller surface area, thus the same amount of ice is "attacking" a smaller surface.

On a larger wing the same amount of ice would take longer to cover or ice-over the surface.

(I am making the assumption that neither the smaller or larger wings we are talking about are not equipped with anti-icing systems).

Answer 5

A thinner wing is colder due to its inability to maintain heat.