Crevasse advection increases glacier calving
Abstract Iceberg calving, the process where icebergs detach from glaciers, remains poorly understood. Moreover, few parameterizations of the calving process can easily be integrated into numerical models to accurately capture observations, resulting in large uncertainties in projected sea level rise...
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/jog.2022.10 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0022143022000107 |
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crcambridgeupr:10.1017/jog.2022.10 2024-05-12T08:06:15+00:00 Crevasse advection increases glacier calving Berg, Brandon Bassis, Jeremy Office of Polar Programs Natural Environment Research Council 2022 http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/jog.2022.10 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0022143022000107 en eng Cambridge University Press (CUP) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Journal of Glaciology page 1-10 ISSN 0022-1430 1727-5652 Earth-Surface Processes journal-article 2022 crcambridgeupr https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2022.10 2024-04-18T06:54:01Z Abstract Iceberg calving, the process where icebergs detach from glaciers, remains poorly understood. Moreover, few parameterizations of the calving process can easily be integrated into numerical models to accurately capture observations, resulting in large uncertainties in projected sea level rise. Recent efforts have focused on estimating crevasse depths assuming tensile failure occurs when crevasses fully penetrate the glacier thickness. However, these approaches often ignore the role of advecting crevasses on calculations of crevasse depth. Here, we examine a more general crevasse depth calving model that includes crevasse advection. We apply this model to idealized prograde and retrograde bed geometries as well as a prograde geometry with a sill. Neglecting crevasse advection results in steady glacier advance and ice tongue formation for all ice temperatures, sliding law coefficients and constant slope bed geometries considered. In contrast, crevasse advection suppresses ice tongue formation and increases calving rates, leading to glacier retreat. Furthermore, crevasse advection allows a grounded calving front to stabilize on top of sills. These results suggest that crevasse advection can radically alter calving rates and hint that future parameterizations of fracture and failure need to more carefully consider the lifecycle of crevasses and the role this plays in the calving process. Article in Journal/Newspaper Journal of Glaciology Cambridge University Press Journal of Glaciology 1 10 |
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Open Polar |
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Cambridge University Press |
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crcambridgeupr |
language |
English |
topic |
Earth-Surface Processes |
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Earth-Surface Processes Berg, Brandon Bassis, Jeremy Crevasse advection increases glacier calving |
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Earth-Surface Processes |
description |
Abstract Iceberg calving, the process where icebergs detach from glaciers, remains poorly understood. Moreover, few parameterizations of the calving process can easily be integrated into numerical models to accurately capture observations, resulting in large uncertainties in projected sea level rise. Recent efforts have focused on estimating crevasse depths assuming tensile failure occurs when crevasses fully penetrate the glacier thickness. However, these approaches often ignore the role of advecting crevasses on calculations of crevasse depth. Here, we examine a more general crevasse depth calving model that includes crevasse advection. We apply this model to idealized prograde and retrograde bed geometries as well as a prograde geometry with a sill. Neglecting crevasse advection results in steady glacier advance and ice tongue formation for all ice temperatures, sliding law coefficients and constant slope bed geometries considered. In contrast, crevasse advection suppresses ice tongue formation and increases calving rates, leading to glacier retreat. Furthermore, crevasse advection allows a grounded calving front to stabilize on top of sills. These results suggest that crevasse advection can radically alter calving rates and hint that future parameterizations of fracture and failure need to more carefully consider the lifecycle of crevasses and the role this plays in the calving process. |
author2 |
Office of Polar Programs Natural Environment Research Council |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Berg, Brandon Bassis, Jeremy |
author_facet |
Berg, Brandon Bassis, Jeremy |
author_sort |
Berg, Brandon |
title |
Crevasse advection increases glacier calving |
title_short |
Crevasse advection increases glacier calving |
title_full |
Crevasse advection increases glacier calving |
title_fullStr |
Crevasse advection increases glacier calving |
title_full_unstemmed |
Crevasse advection increases glacier calving |
title_sort |
crevasse advection increases glacier calving |
publisher |
Cambridge University Press (CUP) |
publishDate |
2022 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/jog.2022.10 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0022143022000107 |
genre |
Journal of Glaciology |
genre_facet |
Journal of Glaciology |
op_source |
Journal of Glaciology page 1-10 ISSN 0022-1430 1727-5652 |
op_rights |
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2022.10 |
container_title |
Journal of Glaciology |
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1 |
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10 |
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1798848703005458432 |