Effect of a sheared flow on iceberg motion and melting

Details

• Journal Title:
  Geophysical Research Letters
• Personal Author:
  FitzMaurice, A. ; Straneo, F. ; Cenedese, C. ; Andres, M.
• NOAA Program & Office:
  OAR (Oceanic and Atmospheric Research) ; GFDL (Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory) ; CPO (Climate Program Office) ; CICS (Cooperative Institute for Climate and Satellites)
• Description:
  Icebergs account for approximately half the freshwater flux into the ocean from the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets and play a major role in the distribution of meltwater into the ocean. Global climate models distribute this freshwater by parameterizing iceberg motion and melt, but these parameterizations are presently informed by limited observations. Here we present a record of speed and draft for 90 icebergs from Sermilik Fjord, southeastern Greenland, collected in conjunction with wind and ocean velocity data over an 8 month period. It is shown that icebergs subject to strongly sheared flows predominantly move with the vertical average of the ocean currents. If, as typical in iceberg parameterizations, only the surface ocean velocity is taken into account, iceberg speed and basal melt may have errors in excess of 60%. These results emphasize the need for parameterizations to consider ocean properties over the entire iceberg draft.
• Keywords:
  • icebergs
  • freshwater flux
  • modeling
  • Greenland
  • dynamics
• Source:
  Geophysical Research Letters, 43(24), 12,520-12,527
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL071602
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Funding:
  Grant no. NA14OAR4320106
• Place as Subject:
  Greenland
• Rights Information:
  Other
• Compliance:
  Submitted
• Download URL:
  https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/29650/noaa_29650_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 537.05 KB]
• Collection(s):
  Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) ; NOAA Cooperative Institutes
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:730bc17c2ba7af50dab0b309c5c814683d30f9f5ad3e8765fd9d000958a1a6ad