Modelled fracture and calving on the Totten Ice Shelf
The Totten Ice Shelf (IS) has a large drainage basin, much of which is grounded below sea level, leaving the glacier vulnerable to retreat through the marine ice sheet instability mechanism. The ice shelf has also been shown to be sensitive to changes in calving rate, as a very small retreat of the...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:5458f408a624452b90680d9a9aedd35b 2023-05-15T16:41:24+02:00 Modelled fracture and calving on the Totten Ice Shelf S. Cook J. Åström T. Zwinger B. K. Galton-Fenzi J. S. Greenbaum R. Coleman 2018-07-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-2401-2018 https://doaj.org/article/5458f408a624452b90680d9a9aedd35b EN eng Copernicus Publications https://www.the-cryosphere.net/12/2401/2018/tc-12-2401-2018.pdf https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0416 https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0424 doi:10.5194/tc-12-2401-2018 1994-0416 1994-0424 https://doaj.org/article/5458f408a624452b90680d9a9aedd35b The Cryosphere, Vol 12, Pp 2401-2411 (2018) Environmental sciences GE1-350 Geology QE1-996.5 article 2018 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-2401-2018 2022-12-31T15:54:16Z The Totten Ice Shelf (IS) has a large drainage basin, much of which is grounded below sea level, leaving the glacier vulnerable to retreat through the marine ice sheet instability mechanism. The ice shelf has also been shown to be sensitive to changes in calving rate, as a very small retreat of the calving front from its current position is predicted to cause a change in flow at the grounding line. Therefore understanding the processes behind calving on the Totten IS is key to predicting its future sea level rise contribution. Here we use the Helsinki Discrete Element Model (HiDEM) to show that not all of the fractures visible at the front of the Totten IS are produced locally, but that the across-flow basal crevasses, which are part of the distinctive cross-cutting fracture pattern, are advected into the calving front area from upstream. A separate simulation of the grounding line shows that re-grounding points may be key areas of basal crevasse production, and can produce basal crevasses in both an along- and across-flow orientation. The along-flow basal crevasses at the grounding line may be a possible precursor to basal channels, while we suggest the across-flow grounding-line fractures are the source of the across-flow features observed at the calving front. We use two additional models to simulate the evolution of basal fractures as they advect downstream, demonstrating that both strain and ocean melt have the potential to deform narrow fractures into the broad basal features observed near the calving front. The wide range of factors which influence fracture patterns and calving on this glacier will be a challenge for predicting its future mass loss. Article in Journal/Newspaper Ice Sheet Ice Shelf The Cryosphere Totten Ice Shelf Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles The Cryosphere 12 7 2401 2411 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
Environmental sciences GE1-350 Geology QE1-996.5 |
spellingShingle |
Environmental sciences GE1-350 Geology QE1-996.5 S. Cook J. Åström T. Zwinger B. K. Galton-Fenzi J. S. Greenbaum R. Coleman Modelled fracture and calving on the Totten Ice Shelf |
topic_facet |
Environmental sciences GE1-350 Geology QE1-996.5 |
description |
The Totten Ice Shelf (IS) has a large drainage basin, much of which is grounded below sea level, leaving the glacier vulnerable to retreat through the marine ice sheet instability mechanism. The ice shelf has also been shown to be sensitive to changes in calving rate, as a very small retreat of the calving front from its current position is predicted to cause a change in flow at the grounding line. Therefore understanding the processes behind calving on the Totten IS is key to predicting its future sea level rise contribution. Here we use the Helsinki Discrete Element Model (HiDEM) to show that not all of the fractures visible at the front of the Totten IS are produced locally, but that the across-flow basal crevasses, which are part of the distinctive cross-cutting fracture pattern, are advected into the calving front area from upstream. A separate simulation of the grounding line shows that re-grounding points may be key areas of basal crevasse production, and can produce basal crevasses in both an along- and across-flow orientation. The along-flow basal crevasses at the grounding line may be a possible precursor to basal channels, while we suggest the across-flow grounding-line fractures are the source of the across-flow features observed at the calving front. We use two additional models to simulate the evolution of basal fractures as they advect downstream, demonstrating that both strain and ocean melt have the potential to deform narrow fractures into the broad basal features observed near the calving front. The wide range of factors which influence fracture patterns and calving on this glacier will be a challenge for predicting its future mass loss. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
S. Cook J. Åström T. Zwinger B. K. Galton-Fenzi J. S. Greenbaum R. Coleman |
author_facet |
S. Cook J. Åström T. Zwinger B. K. Galton-Fenzi J. S. Greenbaum R. Coleman |
author_sort |
S. Cook |
title |
Modelled fracture and calving on the Totten Ice Shelf |
title_short |
Modelled fracture and calving on the Totten Ice Shelf |
title_full |
Modelled fracture and calving on the Totten Ice Shelf |
title_fullStr |
Modelled fracture and calving on the Totten Ice Shelf |
title_full_unstemmed |
Modelled fracture and calving on the Totten Ice Shelf |
title_sort |
modelled fracture and calving on the totten ice shelf |
publisher |
Copernicus Publications |
publishDate |
2018 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-2401-2018 https://doaj.org/article/5458f408a624452b90680d9a9aedd35b |
genre |
Ice Sheet Ice Shelf The Cryosphere Totten Ice Shelf |
genre_facet |
Ice Sheet Ice Shelf The Cryosphere Totten Ice Shelf |
op_source |
The Cryosphere, Vol 12, Pp 2401-2411 (2018) |
op_relation |
https://www.the-cryosphere.net/12/2401/2018/tc-12-2401-2018.pdf https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0416 https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0424 doi:10.5194/tc-12-2401-2018 1994-0416 1994-0424 https://doaj.org/article/5458f408a624452b90680d9a9aedd35b |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-2401-2018 |
container_title |
The Cryosphere |
container_volume |
12 |
container_issue |
7 |
container_start_page |
2401 |
op_container_end_page |
2411 |
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1766031832048992256 |