The future is Nye: an extension of the perfect plastic approximation to tidewater glaciers
Accurate modeling of calving glaciers relies on knowledge of many processes (ice flow, surface/submarine melting, calving, mélange interaction) and glacier-specific factors (air temperature, ocean circulation, precipitation rate, glacier geometry) that remain challenging to assess. Iceberg calving,...
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Cambridge University Press
2016-12-01
|
| Series: | Journal of Glaciology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0022143016001088/type/journal_article |
| _version_ | 1811155896110153728 |
|---|---|
| author | LIZZ ULTEE JEREMY BASSIS |
| author_facet | LIZZ ULTEE JEREMY BASSIS |
| author_sort | LIZZ ULTEE |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Accurate modeling of calving glaciers relies on knowledge of many processes (ice flow, surface/submarine melting, calving, mélange interaction) and glacier-specific factors (air temperature, ocean circulation, precipitation rate, glacier geometry) that remain challenging to assess. Iceberg calving, especially, is important to glacier mass loss and difficult to resolve in currently-available models. Given these challenges facing even the most sophisticated models, there is value in simple, computationally-efficient models that can capture first-order effects. In this study we derive a simple model, extending Nye's perfect plastic approximation to include a yield surface at the calving front. With one climate-related input—either an upstream glacier thinning rate or glacier-wide accumulation—this model is able to simulate the advance and retreat of marine-terminating glaciers on annual to decadal scales. Our model requires knowledge of only two glacier-specific factors: glacier bed topography and basal shear strength, both reasonably constrained by laboratory and field observations. We apply the model to a case study of Columbia Glacier, Alaska and show that, despite its simplicity, the model succeeds in reproducing observed centerline profiles and rates of terminus retreat up to 2007. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T04:42:24Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-eefbb6507af54066b7069f41673e9c59 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0022-1430 1727-5652 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T04:42:24Z |
| publishDate | 2016-12-01 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Glaciology |
| spelling | doaj.art-eefbb6507af54066b7069f41673e9c592023-03-09T12:40:19ZengCambridge University PressJournal of Glaciology0022-14301727-56522016-12-01621143115210.1017/jog.2016.108The future is Nye: an extension of the perfect plastic approximation to tidewater glaciersLIZZ ULTEE0JEREMY BASSIS1Department of Climate and Space, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USADepartment of Climate and Space, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USAAccurate modeling of calving glaciers relies on knowledge of many processes (ice flow, surface/submarine melting, calving, mélange interaction) and glacier-specific factors (air temperature, ocean circulation, precipitation rate, glacier geometry) that remain challenging to assess. Iceberg calving, especially, is important to glacier mass loss and difficult to resolve in currently-available models. Given these challenges facing even the most sophisticated models, there is value in simple, computationally-efficient models that can capture first-order effects. In this study we derive a simple model, extending Nye's perfect plastic approximation to include a yield surface at the calving front. With one climate-related input—either an upstream glacier thinning rate or glacier-wide accumulation—this model is able to simulate the advance and retreat of marine-terminating glaciers on annual to decadal scales. Our model requires knowledge of only two glacier-specific factors: glacier bed topography and basal shear strength, both reasonably constrained by laboratory and field observations. We apply the model to a case study of Columbia Glacier, Alaska and show that, despite its simplicity, the model succeeds in reproducing observed centerline profiles and rates of terminus retreat up to 2007.https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0022143016001088/type/journal_articlecalvingglacial rheologyice dynamicsice/ocean interactions |
| spellingShingle | LIZZ ULTEE JEREMY BASSIS The future is Nye: an extension of the perfect plastic approximation to tidewater glaciers Journal of Glaciology calving glacial rheology ice dynamics ice/ocean interactions |
| title | The future is Nye: an extension of the perfect plastic approximation to tidewater glaciers |
| title_full | The future is Nye: an extension of the perfect plastic approximation to tidewater glaciers |
| title_fullStr | The future is Nye: an extension of the perfect plastic approximation to tidewater glaciers |
| title_full_unstemmed | The future is Nye: an extension of the perfect plastic approximation to tidewater glaciers |
| title_short | The future is Nye: an extension of the perfect plastic approximation to tidewater glaciers |
| title_sort | future is nye an extension of the perfect plastic approximation to tidewater glaciers |
| topic | calving glacial rheology ice dynamics ice/ocean interactions |
| url | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0022143016001088/type/journal_article |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT lizzultee thefutureisnyeanextensionoftheperfectplasticapproximationtotidewaterglaciers AT jeremybassis thefutureisnyeanextensionoftheperfectplasticapproximationtotidewaterglaciers AT lizzultee futureisnyeanextensionoftheperfectplasticapproximationtotidewaterglaciers AT jeremybassis futureisnyeanextensionoftheperfectplasticapproximationtotidewaterglaciers |