Benchmark experiments for higher-order and full Stokes ice sheet models (ISMIP-HOM)

• Main Authors: Pattyn, F., Perichon, L., Aschwanden, A., Breuer, B., De Smedt, B., Gagliardini, O., Gudmundsson, G. H., Hindmarsh, R., Hubbard, A., Johnson, J. V., Kleiner, T., Konovalov, Y., Martin, C., Payne, A. J., Pollard, D., Price, S., Rückamp, M., Saito, F., Soucek, O., Sugiyama, S., Zwinger, T.
• Other Authors: Laboratoire de Glaciologie, Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science Zürich (IAC), Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule - Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zürich (ETH Zürich), Institute for Geophysics, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster (WWU), Vakgroep Geografie, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Laboratoire de glaciologie et géophysique de l'environnement (LGGE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers de Grenoble (OSUG), Université Joseph Fourier - Grenoble 1 (UJF)-Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology (Grenoble INP )-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (IRSTEA)-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB Université de Savoie Université de Chambéry )-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Joseph Fourier - Grenoble 1 (UJF)-Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology (Grenoble INP )-Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (IRSTEA)-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB Université de Savoie Université de Chambéry )-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Physical Science Division, British Antarctic Survey (BAS), Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)-Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), Centre for Glaciology, Institute of Geography and Earth Sciences, Department of Computer Science New York, Columbia University New York, Moscow Engineering Physics Institute, Bristol Glaciology Centre, School of Geographical Sciences, Earth and Environmental Systems Institute, Pennsylvania State University (Penn State), Penn State System-Penn State System, Frontier Research Center for Global Change (FRCGC), Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), Department of Geophysics, Charles University Prague (CU), Institute of Low Temperature Science Sapporo, Hokkaido University Sapporo, Japan, Scientific Computing Ltd (CSC)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2008
• Subjects: [SDU.ENVI]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Continental interfaces; environment; [SDU.OCEAN]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Ocean; Atmosphere; [SDU.STU]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences; Ice Sheet; The Cryosphere; The Cryosphere Discussions
• Online Access: https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00331153; https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00331153/document; https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00331153/file/tcd-2-111-2008.pdf

International audience We present the results of the first ice sheet model intercomparison project for higher-order and full Stokes ice sheet models. These models are validated in a series of six benchmark experiments of which one has an analytical solution under simplifying assumptions. Five of the tests are diagnostic and one experiment is prognostic or time dependent, for both 2-D and 3-D geometries. The results show a good convergence of the different models even for high aspect ratios. A clear distinction can be made between higher-order models and those that solve the full system of equations. The latter show a significantly better agreement with each other as well as with analytical solutions, which demonstrates that they are hardly influenced by the used numerics.