Robust reconstruction of glacier beds using transient 2D assimilation with Stokes

• Published in: Journal of Glaciology
• Main Authors: Samuel Cook, Fabien Gillet-Chaulet, Johannes Fürst
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge University Press 2023
• Subjects: Glacier modelling; glaciological model experiments; mountain glaciers; Environmental sciences; GE1-350; Meteorology. Climatology; QC851-999; Journal of Glaciology
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2023.26; https://doaj.org/article/5499c82f2e5644d68262e404daa5ca96

Initialising model glaciers such that they match well with their real counterparts and are thus able to make more accurate predictions is an ongoing challenge in glacier modelling. We set out a data-assimilation approach using an ensemble Kalman filter in a 2D flowline example that provides one possible solution to this problem. We show that our approach is valid across a range of parameters and scenarios, including deliberately data-deficient or inaccurate ones, and leads to robust retrieval of the glacier bed. We also provide some suggestions for how best to use data assimilation within a mountain-glacier context.