Collaborative Research: GLACIOME: Developing a comprehensive model of the coupled glacier-ocean-melange system

A limited understanding of how glacier-ocean interactions lead to iceberg calving and melting at the ice-ocean boundary contributes to uncertainty in predictions of sea level rise. Dense packs of icebergs and sea ice, known as ice mélange, occur in many Greenland fjords, and may occur near many Antarctic glaciers in the future. Observations suggest that ice mélange may directly affect iceberg calving by pressing against the glacier front and indirectly affect glacier melting by controlling where and when icebergs melt which can impact ocean circulation and ocean heat transport towards glaciers.

However, the interactions between ice mélange, ocean circulation, and iceberg calving have not been systematically investigated due to the difficulty of conducting field work in Greenland fjords. The GLACIOME project will investigate the complex interactions between glaciers, ice mélange and the ocean using laboratory experiments and models to provide the first comprehensive model of the co-evolution of these systems.

The GLACIOME project will use detailed process models and laboratory experiments to investigate thermodynamic and mechanical couplings between ice mélange and fjord waters. A stand-alone, numerical model of ice mélange granular flow will be developed using state-of-the-art continuum approaches from granular physics. This standalone model will be used to test the sensitivity of ice mélange flow and stress to external forcings.

Results from experiments and simulations will be used in the development of a fully coupled glacier-ocean-mélange model (GLACIOME), which includes the new standalone mélange model, the Ice-Sheet and Sea-Level System Model (ISSM) and the MITgcm ocean model. The coupled GLACIOME model will be used to test the impact of ice mélange on glacier stability over decadal time scales.

In addition to the scientific advances, the GLACIOME project will provide opportunities for career development and outreach. The project will support two early career PIs, two graduate students, and one postdoctoral fellow. The students and postdoc will receive interdisciplinary training that is essential for addressing scientific issues with major societal impacts, such as climate change and sea level rise.

The PIs will communicate results to the public through lectures and organizing events for the Atlanta Science Festival.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.