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

• Published in: The Cryosphere
• Main Authors: Pattyn, Frank, Perichon, Laura, Aschwanden, A., Breuer, B., de Smedt, B., Gagliardini, O., Gudmundsson, Hilmar, Hindmarsh, Richard, Hubbard, Alun, Johnson, J. V., Kleiner, Thomas, Konovalov, Y., Martin, C., Payne, Anthony, Pollard, David, Price, S., Rückamp, Martin, Saito, F., Souček, O., Sugiyama, S., Zwinger, T.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Coperincus 2008
• Subjects: F800 Physical and Terrestrial Geographical and Environmental Sciences; Ice Sheet; The Cryosphere
• Online Access: https://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/37834/; https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2-95-2008; https://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/37834/1/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.