A new hydrodynamic model for terrestrial run-off in West Antarctic glaciated coves

• Main Authors: Neder, Camila, Fofonova, Vera, Androsov, Alexey, Kuznetsov, Ivan, Abele, Doris, Jerosch, Kerstin
• Format: Conference Object
• Language: unknown
• Published: 2019
• Subjects: Antarc*; Antarctic; Antarctic Peninsula; Tidewater
• Online Access: https://epic.awi.de/id/eprint/52330/; https://epic.awi.de/id/eprint/52330/1/fesomc_pottercove.pdf; https://hdl.handle.net/10013/epic.76a972a3-ffeb-4442-9c0e-cd4a39c2d411

Rapid frontline retreat and melting of tidewater glaciers along the Antarctic Peninsula cause surface erosion resulting in a washout of suspended particulate matter (SPM) into coastal surface waters. In Potter Cove, a fjord of ~8.5 km2 surface area, meltwater streams transport 23000-39000 tons of eroded sediments per year that disperse into a five meter thick surface layer varying in spatial expansion depending on wind direction and tidal circulation. We addressed the spatial dynamics of the sediment plume in Potter Cove by modelling SPM circulation under different hydrographic scenarios. We applied numerical implementation of the three-dimensional unstructured-mesh model FESOM-C intended for coastal simulations (1). This model is equipped with the high order horizontal advection schemes and rich variety of the vertical turbulence closures based on implemented GOTM turbulence module (2). The model is based on a finite-volume cell-vertex discretization and works on hybrid unstructured meshes composed of triangles and quads. Model performance was validated by available observations. Our results reveal that water transportation due to lower velocity values close to the glacier front; retain the SPM inside the cove, so that this inner-cove area is more strongly impacted by sedimentation.