Simulating the processes controlling ice-shelf rift paths using damage mechanics

Huth, Alex; Duddu, Ravindra; Smith, Benjamin; Sergienko, Olga

doi:10.1017/jog.2023.71

i

Simulating the processes controlling ice-shelf rift paths using damage mechanics

2023
By Huth, Alex ; Duddu, Ravindra ; Smith, Benjamin ; ...

Details

Journal Title:

Journal of Glaciology
Personal Author:

Huth, Alex ; Duddu, Ravindra ; Smith, Benjamin ; Sergienko, Olga
NOAA Program & Office:

OAR (Oceanic and Atmospheric Research) ; GFDL (Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory)
Description:

Rifts are full-thickness fractures that propagate laterally across an ice shelf. They cause ice-shelf weakening and calving of tabular icebergs, and control the initial size of calved icebergs. Here, we present a joint inverse and forward computational modeling framework to capture rifting by combining the vertically integrated momentum balance and anisotropic continuum damage mechanics formulations. We incorporate rift–flank boundary processes to investigate how the rift path is influenced by the pressure on rift–flank walls from seawater, contact between flanks, and ice mélange that may also transmit stress between flanks. To illustrate the viability of the framework, we simulate the final 2 years of rift propagation associated with the calving of tabular iceberg A68 in 2017. We find that the rift path can change with varying ice mélange conditions and the extent of contact between rift flanks. Combinations of parameters associated with slower rift widening rates yield simulated rift paths that best match observations. Our modeling framework lays the foundation for robust simulation of rifting and tabular calving processes, which can enable future studies on ice-sheet–climate interactions, and the effects of ice-shelf buttressing on land ice flow.
Keywords:

Earth-Surface Processes
Source:

Journal of Glaciology (2023)
DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2023.71
ISSN:

0022-1430 ; 1727-5652
Publisher:

Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Document Type:

Journal Article
Funding:

Grant no. NA18OAR4320123
License:

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Rights Information:

CC BY
Compliance:

Library
Main Document Checksum:

urn:sha256:f0e7d9f453168074f721bafadfa7a845bb82e79a0b8214c2e6e12ed40acbac2e
Download URL:

https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/58472/noaa_58472_DS1.pdf
File Type:

[PDF - 3.06 MB ]

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