The impact of tides on Antarctic ice shelf melting

Abstract - 1 ∘ C. The Ronne Ice Shelf features the highest increase in mass loss (44 Gt yr- 1, 128 %), coinciding with strong residual currents and increasing temperatures on the adjacent continental shelf. In some large ice shelves tides strongly affect melting in regions where the ice thickness is of dynamic importance to grounded ice flow. Further, to explore the processes that cause variations in melting we apply dynamical–thermodynamical decomposition to the melt drivers in the boundary layer. In most regions, the impact of tidal currents on the turbulent exchange of heat and salt across the ice–ocean boundary layer has a strong contribution. In some regions, however, mechanisms driven by thermodynamic effects are equally or more important, including under the frontal parts of Ronne Ice Shelf. Our results support the importance of capturing tides for robust modelling of glacier systems and shelf seas, as well as motivate future studies to directly assess friction-based parameterizations for the pan-Antarctic domain.

Object Details

• Location: Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Frankfurt am Main
• Extent: Online-Ressource
• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: The impact of tides on Antarctic ice shelf melting ; volume:16 ; number:4 ; year:2022 ; pages:1409-1429 ; extent:21 ; The Cryosphere ; 16, Heft 4 (2022), 1409-1429 (gesamt 21)

Contributors, Places and Time

• Creator: Richter, Ole ; Gwyther, David E. ; King, Matt A. ; Galton-Fenzi, Benjamin K.

Further information

• DOI: 10.5194/tc-16-1409-2022
• URN: urn:nbn:de:101:1-2022042805331648562105
• Rights: Open Access; Der Zugriff auf das Objekt ist unbeschränkt möglich.
• Last update: 15.08.2025, 7:20 AM CEST