Are seasonal calving dynamics forced by buttressing from ice mélange or undercutting by melting? Outcomes from full-Stokes simulations of Store Glacier, West Greenland
We use a full-Stokes 2-D model (Elmer/Ice) to investigate the flow and calving dynamics of Store Glacier, a fast-flowing outlet glacier in West Greenland. Based on a new, subgrid-scale implementation of the crevasse depth calving criterion, we perform two sets of simulations: one to identify the pri...
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Copernicus Publications
2014
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:6181afce35014307aac46e3e7adee0c3 2023-05-15T16:21:01+02:00 Are seasonal calving dynamics forced by buttressing from ice mélange or undercutting by melting? Outcomes from full-Stokes simulations of Store Glacier, West Greenland J. Todd P. Christoffersen 2014-12-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-8-2353-2014 https://doaj.org/article/6181afce35014307aac46e3e7adee0c3 EN eng Copernicus Publications http://www.the-cryosphere.net/8/2353/2014/tc-8-2353-2014.pdf https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0416 https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0424 1994-0416 1994-0424 doi:10.5194/tc-8-2353-2014 https://doaj.org/article/6181afce35014307aac46e3e7adee0c3 The Cryosphere, Vol 8, Iss 6, Pp 2353-2365 (2014) Environmental sciences GE1-350 Geology QE1-996.5 article 2014 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-8-2353-2014 2022-12-31T01:32:33Z We use a full-Stokes 2-D model (Elmer/Ice) to investigate the flow and calving dynamics of Store Glacier, a fast-flowing outlet glacier in West Greenland. Based on a new, subgrid-scale implementation of the crevasse depth calving criterion, we perform two sets of simulations: one to identify the primary forcing mechanisms and another to constrain future stability. We find that the mixture of icebergs and sea ice, known as ice mélange or sikussak, is principally responsible for the observed seasonal advance of the ice front. On the other hand, the effect of submarine melting on the calving rate of Store Glacier appears to be limited. Sensitivity analysis demonstrates that the glacier's calving dynamics are sensitive to seasonal perturbation, but are stable on interannual timescales due to the strong topographic control on the flow regime. Our results shed light on the dynamics of calving glaciers and may help explain why neighbouring glaciers do not necessarily respond synchronously to changes in atmospheric and oceanic forcing. Article in Journal/Newspaper glacier Greenland Sea ice The Cryosphere Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Greenland The Cryosphere 8 6 2353 2365 |
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 J. Todd P. Christoffersen Are seasonal calving dynamics forced by buttressing from ice mélange or undercutting by melting? Outcomes from full-Stokes simulations of Store Glacier, West Greenland |
topic_facet |
Environmental sciences GE1-350 Geology QE1-996.5 |
description |
We use a full-Stokes 2-D model (Elmer/Ice) to investigate the flow and calving dynamics of Store Glacier, a fast-flowing outlet glacier in West Greenland. Based on a new, subgrid-scale implementation of the crevasse depth calving criterion, we perform two sets of simulations: one to identify the primary forcing mechanisms and another to constrain future stability. We find that the mixture of icebergs and sea ice, known as ice mélange or sikussak, is principally responsible for the observed seasonal advance of the ice front. On the other hand, the effect of submarine melting on the calving rate of Store Glacier appears to be limited. Sensitivity analysis demonstrates that the glacier's calving dynamics are sensitive to seasonal perturbation, but are stable on interannual timescales due to the strong topographic control on the flow regime. Our results shed light on the dynamics of calving glaciers and may help explain why neighbouring glaciers do not necessarily respond synchronously to changes in atmospheric and oceanic forcing. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
J. Todd P. Christoffersen |
author_facet |
J. Todd P. Christoffersen |
author_sort |
J. Todd |
title |
Are seasonal calving dynamics forced by buttressing from ice mélange or undercutting by melting? Outcomes from full-Stokes simulations of Store Glacier, West Greenland |
title_short |
Are seasonal calving dynamics forced by buttressing from ice mélange or undercutting by melting? Outcomes from full-Stokes simulations of Store Glacier, West Greenland |
title_full |
Are seasonal calving dynamics forced by buttressing from ice mélange or undercutting by melting? Outcomes from full-Stokes simulations of Store Glacier, West Greenland |
title_fullStr |
Are seasonal calving dynamics forced by buttressing from ice mélange or undercutting by melting? Outcomes from full-Stokes simulations of Store Glacier, West Greenland |
title_full_unstemmed |
Are seasonal calving dynamics forced by buttressing from ice mélange or undercutting by melting? Outcomes from full-Stokes simulations of Store Glacier, West Greenland |
title_sort |
are seasonal calving dynamics forced by buttressing from ice mélange or undercutting by melting? outcomes from full-stokes simulations of store glacier, west greenland |
publisher |
Copernicus Publications |
publishDate |
2014 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-8-2353-2014 https://doaj.org/article/6181afce35014307aac46e3e7adee0c3 |
geographic |
Greenland |
geographic_facet |
Greenland |
genre |
glacier Greenland Sea ice The Cryosphere |
genre_facet |
glacier Greenland Sea ice The Cryosphere |
op_source |
The Cryosphere, Vol 8, Iss 6, Pp 2353-2365 (2014) |
op_relation |
http://www.the-cryosphere.net/8/2353/2014/tc-8-2353-2014.pdf https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0416 https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0424 1994-0416 1994-0424 doi:10.5194/tc-8-2353-2014 https://doaj.org/article/6181afce35014307aac46e3e7adee0c3 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-8-2353-2014 |
container_title |
The Cryosphere |
container_volume |
8 |
container_issue |
6 |
container_start_page |
2353 |
op_container_end_page |
2365 |
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1766009026499313664 |