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Breakdown mode transition of three-electrode pulsed surface dielectric barrier discharge in ice-breaking process is studied experimentally with basic electrical and optical characteristics. Electrical characteristics and discharge morphologies obtained during the ice-breaking process exhibit that plasma in the sequential pulse is sustained by three stages: corona discharge, streamer discharge and surface-spark discharge. Furthermore, gas channel can be effectively produced in the first corona discharge and second streamer discharge, which creates a favorable condition for the formation of the following pulsed surface-spark discharge, thus all of these three stages result in ice-breaking. In particular, time-resolved emission-propagation phenomena indicate that the pulsed surface-spark discharge inside the ice starts from streamer phase with low current and then transits to a spark phase characterized with a fast rising current and rapid decreasing voltage. The electron density of pulsed surface-spark discharge reaches about 2.08  ×  1017 cm−3 which is calculated by the Stark broadening of O atomic line. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]