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https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1850
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1850
09 Aug 2024
 | 09 Aug 2024

Glacier damage evolution over ice flow timescales

Meghana Ranganathan, Alexander A. Robel, Alexander Huth, and Ravindra Duddu

Abstract. The rate of mass loss from the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets is controlled in large part by the processes of ice flow and ice fracture. Studies have shown these processes to be coupled: the development of fractured zones weakens the structural integrity of the ice, reducing ice viscosity and enabling more rapid flow. This coupling may have significant implications for the stability of ice shelves and the rate of flow from grounded ice. However, there are challenges with modeling this process, in large part due to the discrepancy in timescales of fracture and flow processes as well as uncertainty in the construction of the damage evolution model. This leads to uncertainty in how fracture processes can affect ice viscosity and, therefore, projections of future ice mass loss. Here, we develop a damage evolution model that represents fracture initiation and propagation over ice flow timescales, with the goal of representing solely the effect of damage on flow behavior. We then apply this model to quantify the effect of damage on projections of glacier response to climate forcing. We use the MISMIP+ benchmark glacier configuration with Experiment Ice1r, which represents grounding line retreat due to basal melt forcing. In this model configuration, we find that damage can enhance mass loss from grounded and floating ice by ~ 13–29 % in 100 years. The enhancement of mass loss due to damage is approximately of the same order as increasing the basal melt rate by 50 %. We further show the dependence of these results on uncertain model parameters. These results emphasize the importance of further studying the multiscale processes of damage initiation and growth from an experimental and observational standpoint and of incorporating this coupling into large-scale ice sheet models.

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Journal article(s) based on this preprint

23 Apr 2025
Glacier damage evolution over ice flow timescales
Meghana Ranganathan, Alexander A. Robel, Alexander Huth, and Ravindra Duddu
The Cryosphere, 19, 1599–1619, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-1599-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-1599-2025, 2025
Short summary
Meghana Ranganathan, Alexander A. Robel, Alexander Huth, and Ravindra Duddu

Interactive discussion

Status: closed

Comment types: AC – author | RC – referee | CC – community | EC – editor | CEC – chief editor | : Report abuse

Interactive discussion

Status: closed

Comment types: AC – author | RC – referee | CC – community | EC – editor | CEC – chief editor | : Report abuse

Peer review completion

AR: Author's response | RR: Referee report | ED: Editor decision | EF: Editorial file upload
ED: Publish subject to revisions (further review by editor and referees) (12 Dec 2024) by Carlos Martin
AR by Meghana Ranganathan on behalf of the Authors (16 Jan 2025)  Author's response   Author's tracked changes   Manuscript 
ED: Referee Nomination & Report Request started (22 Jan 2025) by Carlos Martin
RR by Anonymous Referee #1 (18 Feb 2025)
ED: Publish subject to technical corrections (18 Feb 2025) by Carlos Martin
AR by Meghana Ranganathan on behalf of the Authors (19 Feb 2025)  Author's response   Manuscript 

Journal article(s) based on this preprint

23 Apr 2025
Glacier damage evolution over ice flow timescales
Meghana Ranganathan, Alexander A. Robel, Alexander Huth, and Ravindra Duddu
The Cryosphere, 19, 1599–1619, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-1599-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-1599-2025, 2025
Short summary
Meghana Ranganathan, Alexander A. Robel, Alexander Huth, and Ravindra Duddu
Meghana Ranganathan, Alexander A. Robel, Alexander Huth, and Ravindra Duddu

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Short summary
The rate of ice loss from ice sheets is controlled by the flow of ice from the center of the ice sheet and internal fracturing of the ice. These are coupled – fractures can reduce the viscosity of ice and enable more rapid flow, and rapid flow can cause fracturing of ice. We present a simplified way of representing damage that is applicable to long-timescale flow estimates. Using this model, we find that including fracturing into an ice sheet simulation can increase the loss of ice by 13–29 %.
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