Abstract
Upernavik Isstrom, a marine glacier undergoing rapid retreat, is simulated by forcing a numerical model with ocean-driven melt. A review of processes driving retreat led us to hypothesize that a glacier undergoing rapid retreat may be less sensitive to perturbations in the balance of forces than a glacier that is undergoing moderate changes or a glacier in steady state. Numerical experiments suggest this is not the case, and that a system in rapid retreat is as sensitive to basal traction perturbations as a system that is near to steady state. This result is important when considering other glacier systems experiencing marine-forced retreat. While the ice-ocean interface is of primary importance, additional perturbations from meltwater-forced decoupling of the glacier from its bed continue to feature in glacier dynamics.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 891-900 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Journal of Glaciology |
| Volume | 68 |
| Issue number | 271 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Oct 8 2022 |
Funding
J. Z. Downs and J. V. Johnson were supported by NSF grant 1543533. The authors sincerely thank Mathieu Morlighem for help using ISSM to conduct the model experiments presented in this study. The authors also thank Joel Haper and Toby Meirbachtol for insightful discussions that aided in the development of this study. Additionally, the authors thank editor Frank Pattyn as well as Trevor Hillebrand and another anonymous reviewer for their help improving the manuscript.
| Funder number |
|---|
| 1543533 |
UN SDGs
This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
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SDG 14 Life Below Water
Keywords
- Calving
- glacier flow
- glacier modeling
- ice-sheet modeling
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