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

• Main Authors: Pattyn, F., Perichon, L., Ashwanden, A., Breuer, B., de Smedt, B., Gagliardini, O., Gudmundsson, G. Hilmar, Hindmarsh, Richard C.A., Hubbard, A., Johnson, J.V., Kleiner, T., Konovalov, Y., Martin, C., Payne, A.J., Pollard, D., Price, S., Rückamp, M., Saito, F., Souček, O., Sugiyama, S., Zwinger, T.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Copernicus Publishing 2008
• Subjects: Glaciology; Ice Sheet; The Cryosphere
• Online Access: http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/11579/; https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/11579/1/tc-2-95-2008.pdf; http://www.the-cryosphere.net/2/95/2008/tc-2-95-2008.pdf

We present the results of the first ice sheet model intercomparison project for higher-order and full-Stokes ice sheet models. These models are compared and verified in a series of six experiments of which one has an analytical solution obtained from a perturbation analysis. The experiments are applied to both 2-D and 3-D geometries; five experiments are steady-state diagnostic, and one has a time-dependent prognostic solution. All participating models give results that are in close agreement. A clear distinction can be made between higher-order models and those that solve the full system of equations. The full-Stokes models show a much smaller spread, hence are in better agreement with one another and with the analytical solution.