scholarly journals Marine ice sheet model performance depends on basal sliding physics and sub-shelf melting

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rupert Michael Gladstone ◽  
Roland Charles Warner ◽  
Benjamin Keith Galton-Fenzi ◽  
Olivier Gagliardini ◽  
Thomas Zwinger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Model Performance ◽  
Effective Pressure ◽  
Physical Processes ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Grounding Line ◽  
Basal Sliding ◽  
Power Law Function ◽  
Ice Velocity ◽  
Basal Melting

Abstract. Computer models are necessary for understanding and predicting marine ice sheet behaviour. However, there is uncertainty over implementation of physical processes at the ice base, both for grounded and floating glacial ice. Here we implement several sliding relations in a marine ice sheet flowline model accounting for all stress components, and demonstrate that model resolution requirements are strongly dependent on both the choice of basal sliding relation and the spatial distribution of ice shelf basal melting. Sliding relations that reduce the magnitude of the step change in basal drag from grounded ice to floating ice (where basal drag is set to zero) show reduced dependence on resolution compared to a commonly used relation, in which basal drag is purely a power law function of basal ice velocity. Sliding relations in which basal drag goes smoothly to zero as the grounding line is approached from inland (due to a physically motivated incorporation of effective pressure at the bed) provide further reduction to resolution dependence. A similar issue is found with the imposition of basal melt under the floating part of the ice shelf: melt parameterisations that reduce the abruptness of change in basal melting from grounded ice (where basal melt is set to zero) to floating ice provide improved convergence with resolution compared to parameterisations in which high melt occurs adjacent to the grounding line. Thus physical processes, such as sub-glacial outflow (which could cause high melt near the grounding line), would impact on capability to simulate marine ice sheets. For any given marine ice sheet the basal physics, both grounded and floating, governs the feasibility of simulating the system. The combination of a physical dependency of basal drag on effective pressure and low ice shelf basal melt rates near the grounding line mean that some marine ice sheet systems can be reliably simulated at a coarser resolution than currently thought necessary.

scholarly journals Marine ice sheet model performance depends on basal sliding physics and sub-shelf melting

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 319-329 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rupert Michael Gladstone ◽  
Roland Charles Warner ◽  
Benjamin Keith Galton-Fenzi ◽  
Olivier Gagliardini ◽  
Thomas Zwinger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Flow Line ◽  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Model Performance ◽  
Effective Pressure ◽  
Physical Processes ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Grounding Line ◽  
Basal Sliding ◽  
Power Law Function ◽  
Basal Melting

Abstract. Computer models are necessary for understanding and predicting marine ice sheet behaviour. However, there is uncertainty over implementation of physical processes at the ice base, both for grounded and floating glacial ice. Here we implement several sliding relations in a marine ice sheet flow-line model accounting for all stress components and demonstrate that model resolution requirements are strongly dependent on both the choice of basal sliding relation and the spatial distribution of ice shelf basal melting.Sliding relations that reduce the magnitude of the step change in basal drag from grounded ice to floating ice (where basal drag is set to zero) show reduced dependence on resolution compared to a commonly used relation, in which basal drag is purely a power law function of basal ice velocity. Sliding relations in which basal drag goes smoothly to zero as the grounding line is approached from inland (due to a physically motivated incorporation of effective pressure at the bed) provide further reduction in resolution dependence.A similar issue is found with the imposition of basal melt under the floating part of the ice shelf: melt parameterisations that reduce the abruptness of change in basal melting from grounded ice (where basal melt is set to zero) to floating ice provide improved convergence with resolution compared to parameterisations in which high melt occurs adjacent to the grounding line.Thus physical processes, such as sub-glacial outflow (which could cause high melt near the grounding line), impact on capability to simulate marine ice sheets. If there exists an abrupt change across the grounding line in either basal drag or basal melting, then high resolution will be required to solve the problem. However, the plausible combination of a physical dependency of basal drag on effective pressure, and the possibility of low ice shelf basal melt rates next to the grounding line, may mean that some marine ice sheet systems can be reliably simulated at a coarser resolution than currently thought necessary.

Representation of basal melting in idealised coupled ice sheet ocean models

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chen Zhao ◽  
Rupert Gladstone ◽  
Ben Galton-Fenzi ◽  
David Gwyther
Keyword(s):  
Ocean Circulation ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Ocean Model ◽  
Periodic Pattern ◽  
Regional Ocean Modeling System ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Grounding Line ◽  
Ocean Models ◽  
Basal Melting

<p>The ocean-driven basal melting has important implications for the stability of ice shelves in Antarctic, which largely affects the ice sheet mass balance, ocean circulation, and subsequently global sea level rise. Due to the limited observations in the ice shelf cavities, the couple ice sheet ocean models have been playing a critical role in examining the processes governing basal melting. In this study we use the Framework for Ice Sheet-Ocean Coupling (FISOC) to couple the Elmer/Ice full-stokes ice sheet model and the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) ocean model to model ice shelf/ocean interactions for an idealised three-dimensional domain. Experiments followed the coupled ice sheet–ocean experiments under the first phase of the Marine Ice Sheet–Ocean Model Intercomparison Project (MISOMIP1). A periodic pattern in the simulated mean basal melting rates is found to be highly consistent with the maximum barotropic stream function and also the grounding line retreat row by row,  which is likely to be related with the gyre break down near the grounding line caused by some non-physical instability events from the ocean bottom. Sensitivity tests are carried out, showing that this periodic pattern is not sensitive to the choice of couple time intervals and horizontal eddy viscosities but sensitive to vertical resolution in the ocean model, the chosen critical water column thickness in the wet-dry scheme, and the tracer properties for the nudging dry cells at the ice-ocean interface boundary. Further simulations are necessary to better explain the mechanism involved in the couple ice-ocean system, which is very significant for its application on the realistic ice-ocean systems in polar regions.</p>

scholarly journals Geometry and ice dynamics of the Darwin–Hatherton glacial system, Transantarctic Mountains

2017 ◽  
Vol 63 (242) ◽  
pp. 959-972
Author(s):  
METTE K. GILLESPIE ◽  
WENDY LAWSON ◽  
WOLFGANG RACK ◽  
BRIAN ANDERSON ◽  
DONALD D. BLANKENSHIP ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Ice Thickness ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Ice Dynamics ◽  
Ross Ice Shelf ◽  
Basal Ice ◽  
Grounding Line ◽  
Ice Flows ◽  
Ice Velocity ◽  
The Mean

ABSTRACTThe Darwin–Hatherton Glacial system (DHGS) connects the East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS) with the Ross Ice Shelf and is a key area for understanding past variations in ice thickness of surrounding ice masses. Here we present the first detailed measurements of ice thickness and grounding zone characteristics of the DHGS as well as new measurements of ice velocity. The results illustrate the changes that occur in glacier geometry and ice flux as ice flows from the polar plateau and into the Ross Ice Shelf. The ice discharge and the mean basal ice shelf melt for the first 8.5 km downstream of the grounding line amount to 0.24 ± 0.05 km3 a−1 and 0.3 ± 0.1 m a−1, respectively. As the ice begins to float, ice thickness decreases rapidly and basal terraces develop. Constructed maps of glacier geometry suggest that ice drainage from the EAIS into the Darwin Glacier occurs primarily through a deep subglacial canyon. By contrast, ice thins to <200 m at the head of the much slower flowing Hatherton Glacier. The glaciological field study establishes an improved basis for the interpretation of glacial drift sheets at the link between the EAIS and the Ross Ice Sheet.

scholarly journals Modeling the response of Lambert Glacier–Amery Ice Shelf system, East Antarctic, to uncertain climate forcing over the 21st and 22nd centuries

2013 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 5683-5709
Author(s):  
Y. Gong ◽  
S. L. Cornford ◽  
A. J. Payne
Keyword(s):  
Global Environmental Change ◽  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Adaptive Mesh ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Dynamic Simulations ◽  
Amery Ice Shelf ◽  
Grounding Line ◽  
Polar Ice Sheets ◽  
Basal Melting ◽  
Lambert Glacier

Abstract. The interaction between the climate system and the large polar ice sheets regions is a key process in global environmental change. We carried out ice dynamic simulations of one of the largest drainage systems in East Antarctica: the Lambert Glacier–Amery Ice Shelf system, with an adaptive mesh ice sheet model. The ice sheet model is driven by surface accumulation and basal melt rates computed by two ocean and two atmosphere models. The change of the ice thickness and velocity in the ice shelf is mainly influenced by the basal melting distribution, but, although the ice shelf thins in the most of the simulations, there is little grounding line retreat. We find that the Lambert Glacier grounding line can retreat as much as 30 km if there is sufficient thinning of the ice shelf south of Clemence Massif, but none of the ocean models provide sufficiently high melt rates in that region. Overall, the increased accumulation computed by the atmosphere models outweighs ice stream acceleration so that the net contribution to sea level rise is negative.

scholarly journals Simulated dynamic regrounding during marine ice sheet retreat

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 2425-2436
Author(s):  
Lenneke M. Jong ◽  
Rupert M. Gladstone ◽  
Benjamin K. Galton-Fenzi ◽  
Matt A. King
Keyword(s):  
Shear Stress ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Ice Streams ◽  
Overburden Pressure ◽  
Grounding Line ◽  
Ice Velocity ◽  
Basal Shear ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract. Marine-terminating ice sheets are of interest due to their potential instability, making them vulnerable to rapid retreat. Modelling the evolution of glaciers and ice streams in such regions is key to understanding their possible contribution to sea level rise. The friction caused by the sliding of ice over bedrock and the resultant shear stress are important factors in determining the velocity of sliding ice. Many models use simple power-law expressions for the relationship between the basal shear stress and ice velocity or introduce an effective-pressure dependence into the sliding relation in an ad hoc manner. Sliding relations based on water-filled subglacial cavities are more physically motivated, with the overburden pressure of the ice included. Here we show that using a cavitation-based sliding relation allows for the temporary regrounding of an ice shelf at a point downstream of the main grounding line of a marine ice sheet undergoing retreat across a retrograde bedrock slope. This suggests that the choice of sliding relation is especially important when modelling grounding line behaviour of regions where potential ice rises and pinning points are present and regrounding could occur.

scholarly journals Sea-level response to melting of Antarctic ice shelves on multi-centennial time scales with the fast Elementary Thermomechanical Ice Sheet model (f.ETISh v1.0)

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank Pattyn
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Time Scales ◽  
Power Law ◽  
Coulomb Friction ◽  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Ice Shelves ◽  
Grounding Line ◽  
Basal Sliding

Abstract. The magnitude of the Antarctic ice sheet's contribution to global sea-level rise is dominated by the potential of its marine sectors to become unstable and collapse as a response to ocean (and atmospheric) forcing. This paper presents Antarctic sea-level response to sudden atmospheric and oceanic forcings on multi-centennial time scales with the newly developed fast Elementary Thermomechanical Ice Sheet (f.ETISh) model. The f.ETISh model is a vertically integrated hybrid ice sheet/ice shelf model with an approximate implementation of ice sheet thermomechanics, making the model two-dimensional. Its marine boundary is represented by two different flux conditions, coherent with power-law basal sliding and Coulomb basal friction. The model has been compared to a series of existing benchmarks. Modelled Antarctic ice sheet response to forcing is dominated by sub-ice shelf melt and the sensitivity is highly dependent on basal conditions at the grounding line. Coulomb friction in the grounding-line transition zone leads to significantly higher mass loss in both West and East Antarctica on centennial time scales, leading to 2 m sea level rise after 500 years for a moderate melt scenario of 20 m a−1 under freely-floating ice shelves, up to 6 m for a 50 m a−1 scenario. The higher sensitivity is attributed to higher driving stresses upstream from the grounding line. Removing the ice shelves altogether results in a disintegration of the West Antarctic ice sheet and (partially) marine basins in East Antarctica. After 500 years, this leads to a 4.5 m and a 12.2 m sea level rise for the power-law basal sliding and Coulomb friction conditions at the grounding line, respectively. The latter value agrees with simulations by DeConto and Pollard (2016) over a similar period (but with different forcing and including processes of hydro-fracturing and cliff failure). The chosen parametrizations make model results largely independent of spatial resolution, so that f.ETISh can potentially be integrated in large-scale Earth system models.

scholarly journals Sea-level response to melting of Antarctic ice shelves on multi-centennial timescales with the fast Elementary Thermomechanical Ice Sheet model (f.ETISh v1.0)

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 1851-1878 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank Pattyn
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Power Law ◽  
Coulomb Friction ◽  
Ice Sheet ◽  
East Antarctica ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Ice Shelves ◽  
Grounding Line ◽  
Basal Sliding

Abstract. The magnitude of the Antarctic ice sheet's contribution to global sea-level rise is dominated by the potential of its marine sectors to become unstable and collapse as a response to ocean (and atmospheric) forcing. This paper presents Antarctic sea-level response to sudden atmospheric and oceanic forcings on multi-centennial timescales with the newly developed fast Elementary Thermomechanical Ice Sheet (f.ETISh) model. The f.ETISh model is a vertically integrated hybrid ice sheet–ice shelf model with vertically integrated thermomechanical coupling, making the model two-dimensional. Its marine boundary is represented by two different flux conditions, coherent with power-law basal sliding and Coulomb basal friction. The model has been compared to existing benchmarks. Modelled Antarctic ice sheet response to forcing is dominated by sub-ice shelf melt and the sensitivity is highly dependent on basal conditions at the grounding line. Coulomb friction in the grounding-line transition zone leads to significantly higher mass loss in both West and East Antarctica on centennial timescales, leading to 1.5 m sea-level rise after 500 years for a limited melt scenario of 10 m a−1 under freely floating ice shelves, up to 6 m for a 50 m a−1 scenario. The higher sensitivity is attributed to higher ice fluxes at the grounding line due to vanishing effective pressure. Removing the ice shelves altogether results in a disintegration of the West Antarctic ice sheet and (partially) marine basins in East Antarctica. After 500 years, this leads to a 5 m and a 16 m sea-level rise for the power-law basal sliding and Coulomb friction conditions at the grounding line, respectively. The latter value agrees with simulations by DeConto and Pollard (2016) over a similar period (but with different forcing and including processes of hydrofracturing and cliff failure). The chosen parametrizations make model results largely independent of spatial resolution so that f.ETISh can potentially be integrated in large-scale Earth system models.

scholarly journals Brief communication: PICOP, a new ocean melt parameterization under ice shelves combining PICO and a plume model

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 1043-1049 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tyler Pelle ◽  
Mathieu Morlighem ◽  
Johannes H. Bondzio
Keyword(s):  
Ocean Circulation ◽  
Numerical Models ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Ice Streams ◽  
Amundsen Sea ◽  
Ice Shelves ◽  
Grounding Line ◽  
Basal Melting

Abstract. Basal melting at the bottom of Antarctic ice shelves is a major control on glacier dynamics, as it modulates the amount of buttressing that floating ice shelves exert onto the ice streams feeding them. Three-dimensional ocean circulation numerical models provide reliable estimates of basal melt rates but remain too computationally expensive for century-scale projections. Ice sheet modelers therefore routinely rely on simplified parameterizations based on either ice shelf depth or more sophisticated box models. However, existing parameterizations do not accurately resolve the complex spatial patterns of sub-shelf melt rates that have been observed over Antarctica's ice shelves, especially in the vicinity of the grounding line, where basal melting is one of the primary drivers of grounding line migration. In this study, we couple the Potsdam Ice-shelf Cavity mOdel (PICO, Reese et al., 2018) to a buoyant plume melt rate parameterization (Lazeroms et al., 2018) to create PICOP, a novel basal melt rate parameterization that is easy to implement in transient ice sheet numerical models and produces a melt rate field that is in excellent agreement with the spatial distribution and magnitude of observations for several ocean basins. We test PICOP on the Amundsen Sea sector of West Antarctica, Totten, and Moscow University ice shelves in East Antarctica and the Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf and compare the results to PICO. We find that PICOP is able to reproduce inferred high melt rates beneath Pine Island, Thwaites, and Totten glaciers (on the order of 100 m yr−1) and removes the “banding” pattern observed in melt rates produced by PICO over the Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf. PICOP resolves many of the issues contemporary basal melt rate parameterizations face and is therefore a valuable tool for those looking to make future projections of Antarctic glaciers.

Simulating Antarctic subglacial hydrology processes underneath Pine Island Glacier, West Antarctica, using GlaDS model in Elmer/Ice

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
yufang zhang ◽  
John Moore ◽  
Michael Wolovick ◽  
Rupert Gladstone ◽  
Thomas Zwinger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Drainage System ◽  
The State ◽  
Effective Pressure ◽  
West Antarctica ◽  
Ice Dynamics ◽  
Grounding Line ◽  
Basal Sliding

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Abstract:&lt;/strong&gt; Very little is known about the subglacial hydrologic system under the Antarctic Ice Sheet due to the difficulty of directly observing the bottom of the ice sheet. Hydrology modeling is a powerful tool to simulate the spatial distribution of crucial hydrologic properties under the ice sheet. Here, we use the state-of-art two-dimensional Glacier Drainage System model (GlaDS) to simulate both distributed sheet flow and continuous channels under Pine Island Glacier (PIG), West Antarctica, one of the largest contributors to sea level rise in Antarctica.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We adopt an unstructured triangular mesh which enables channels to form along element edges. We drive the model with meltwater computed from an inversion and steady temperature simulation of PIG using a Stokes flow ice dynamic model. Our domain comprises the full PIG catchment. We aim to study the pattern and development of water pressure, hydraulic potential, water sheet thickness and discharge, as well as channel area and flux, which together describe the state of the basal system.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Our results for hydraulic potential correctly route water towards the grounding line, while we find near-zero effective pressure underneath the main trunk of PIG, consistent with the low basal drag and low driving stress there. This has implications for the representation of sliding in ice dynamic models: typical assumptions about hydrology connectivity to the ocean will overestimate effective pressure. When run forward in time, efficient channels evolve near the grounding line indicating an efficient drainage system where water fluxes are high in the downstream part of the PIG.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;By applying GlaDS to a real marine ice sheet catchment we can better understand how basal hydrology modulates ice dynamics through basal sliding. We plan to compare our model predictions of effective pressure and drainage system with driving stress and inversions of basal drag. This will allow us to see the relationship between basal hydrology and basal sliding under PIG, and provide us better tools to predict the evolution of the region in view of future climate scenarios. Moving forward, we plan to couple the hydrology model with the ice dynamics model to make more accurate projections of sea level rise from PIG.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Key Words: West Antarctica, subglacial hydrology, drainage system, GlaDS, Elmer/Ice, Pine Island Glacier&lt;/p&gt;

scholarly journals Simulated dynamic regrounding during marine ice sheet retreat

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lenneke M. Jong ◽  
Rupert M. Gladstone ◽  
Benjamin K. Galton-Fenzi ◽  
Matt A. King
Keyword(s):  
Shear Stress ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Ice Streams ◽  
Overburden Pressure ◽  
Grounding Line ◽  
Ice Velocity ◽  
Basal Shear ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract. Marine terminating ice sheets are of interest due to their potential instability, making them vulnerable to rapid retreat. Modelling the evolution of glaciers and ice streams in such regions is key to understanding their possible contribution to sea level rise. The friction caused by the sliding of ice over bedrock, and the resultant shear stress, are important factors in determining the velocity of sliding ice. Many models use simple power-law expressions for the relationship between the basal shear stress and ice velocity or introduce an effective pressure dependence into the sliding relation in an ad hoc. manner. Sliding relations based on water-filled sub-glacial cavities are more physically motivated, with the overburden pressure of the ice included. Here we show that using a cavitation based sliding relation allows for the temporary regrounding of an ice shelf at a point downstream of the main grounding line of a marine ice sheet undergoing retreat across a retrograde bedrock slope. This suggests that the choice of sliding relation is especially important when modelling grounding line behaviour of regions where potential ice rises and pinning points are present and regrounding could occur.

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