Melting and fragmentation laws from the evolution of two large Southern Ocean icebergs estimated from satellite data
The evolution of the thickness and area of two large Southern Ocean icebergs that have drifted in open water for more than a year is estimated through the combined analysis of altimeter data and visible satellite images. The observed thickness evolution is compared with iceberg melting predictions f...
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Language: | English |
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Copernicus Publications
2018
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Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-2267-2018 https://doaj.org/article/fcb1a637c83c4f1c8f658eb516d9df8f |
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:fcb1a637c83c4f1c8f658eb516d9df8f 2023-05-15T18:25:02+02:00 Melting and fragmentation laws from the evolution of two large Southern Ocean icebergs estimated from satellite data N. Bouhier J. Tournadre F. Rémy R. Gourves-Cousin 2018-07-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-2267-2018 https://doaj.org/article/fcb1a637c83c4f1c8f658eb516d9df8f EN eng Copernicus Publications https://www.the-cryosphere.net/12/2267/2018/tc-12-2267-2018.pdf https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0416 https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0424 doi:10.5194/tc-12-2267-2018 1994-0416 1994-0424 https://doaj.org/article/fcb1a637c83c4f1c8f658eb516d9df8f The Cryosphere, Vol 12, Pp 2267-2285 (2018) Environmental sciences GE1-350 Geology QE1-996.5 article 2018 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-2267-2018 2022-12-31T14:22:58Z The evolution of the thickness and area of two large Southern Ocean icebergs that have drifted in open water for more than a year is estimated through the combined analysis of altimeter data and visible satellite images. The observed thickness evolution is compared with iceberg melting predictions from two commonly used melting formulations, allowing us to test their validity for large icebergs. The first formulation, based on a fluid dynamics approach, tends to underestimate basal melt rates, while the second formulation, which considers the thermodynamic budget, appears more consistent with observations. Fragmentation is more important than melting for the decay of large icebergs. Despite its importance, fragmentation remains poorly documented. The correlation between the observed volume loss of our two icebergs and environmental parameters highlights factors most likely to promote fragmentation. Using this information, a bulk model of fragmentation is established that depends on ocean temperature and iceberg velocity. The model is effective at reproducing observed volume variations. The size distribution of the calved pieces is estimated using both altimeter data and visible images and is found to be consistent with previous results and typical of brittle fragmentation processes. These results are valuable in accounting for the freshwater flux constrained by large icebergs in models. Article in Journal/Newspaper Southern Ocean The Cryosphere Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Southern Ocean The Cryosphere 12 7 2267 2285 |
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 N. Bouhier J. Tournadre F. Rémy R. Gourves-Cousin Melting and fragmentation laws from the evolution of two large Southern Ocean icebergs estimated from satellite data |
topic_facet |
Environmental sciences GE1-350 Geology QE1-996.5 |
description |
The evolution of the thickness and area of two large Southern Ocean icebergs that have drifted in open water for more than a year is estimated through the combined analysis of altimeter data and visible satellite images. The observed thickness evolution is compared with iceberg melting predictions from two commonly used melting formulations, allowing us to test their validity for large icebergs. The first formulation, based on a fluid dynamics approach, tends to underestimate basal melt rates, while the second formulation, which considers the thermodynamic budget, appears more consistent with observations. Fragmentation is more important than melting for the decay of large icebergs. Despite its importance, fragmentation remains poorly documented. The correlation between the observed volume loss of our two icebergs and environmental parameters highlights factors most likely to promote fragmentation. Using this information, a bulk model of fragmentation is established that depends on ocean temperature and iceberg velocity. The model is effective at reproducing observed volume variations. The size distribution of the calved pieces is estimated using both altimeter data and visible images and is found to be consistent with previous results and typical of brittle fragmentation processes. These results are valuable in accounting for the freshwater flux constrained by large icebergs in models. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
N. Bouhier J. Tournadre F. Rémy R. Gourves-Cousin |
author_facet |
N. Bouhier J. Tournadre F. Rémy R. Gourves-Cousin |
author_sort |
N. Bouhier |
title |
Melting and fragmentation laws from the evolution of two large Southern Ocean icebergs estimated from satellite data |
title_short |
Melting and fragmentation laws from the evolution of two large Southern Ocean icebergs estimated from satellite data |
title_full |
Melting and fragmentation laws from the evolution of two large Southern Ocean icebergs estimated from satellite data |
title_fullStr |
Melting and fragmentation laws from the evolution of two large Southern Ocean icebergs estimated from satellite data |
title_full_unstemmed |
Melting and fragmentation laws from the evolution of two large Southern Ocean icebergs estimated from satellite data |
title_sort |
melting and fragmentation laws from the evolution of two large southern ocean icebergs estimated from satellite data |
publisher |
Copernicus Publications |
publishDate |
2018 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-2267-2018 https://doaj.org/article/fcb1a637c83c4f1c8f658eb516d9df8f |
geographic |
Southern Ocean |
geographic_facet |
Southern Ocean |
genre |
Southern Ocean The Cryosphere |
genre_facet |
Southern Ocean The Cryosphere |
op_source |
The Cryosphere, Vol 12, Pp 2267-2285 (2018) |
op_relation |
https://www.the-cryosphere.net/12/2267/2018/tc-12-2267-2018.pdf https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0416 https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0424 doi:10.5194/tc-12-2267-2018 1994-0416 1994-0424 https://doaj.org/article/fcb1a637c83c4f1c8f658eb516d9df8f |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-2267-2018 |
container_title |
The Cryosphere |
container_volume |
12 |
container_issue |
7 |
container_start_page |
2267 |
op_container_end_page |
2285 |
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1766206181058019328 |