Presentation by Dr. Meghana Ranganathan
Modeling microphysics in ice sheet models
Abstract:
Mass loss from the Antarctic Ice Sheet occurs due to the viscous ice flow of glaciers from the interior of ice sheets towards the ocean, along with brittle fracture of ice into icebergs. Viscous flow and brittle fracture of ice are governed by microphysical processes that occur on scales of ice crystals or smaller. However, incorporating physics on these small spatial and temporal scales into ice sheet models is made difficult by gaps in our physical understanding of these microphysical processes and by the computational cost of models that resolve them. In this talk, we examine the implications of neglecting the small-scale processes governing both ice deformation and ice fracture. We present a bulk parameterization method for incorporating ice crystal-scale processes into models of viscous ice flow, and we show that this parameterization provides a way of representing the effect of varying flow conditions on future ice sheet behavior. We then present an approach for parameterizing small-scale fracturing processes on long-timescale ice sheet behavior and show that incorporating ice fracturing into viscous flow models can enhance mass loss from ice sheets estimated by models.
Zoom link:
https://columbiauniversity.zoom.us/j/99162405881?pwd=L1diZWFvdG4ycSttUXJFOHZQbGpTQT09
