[ESAC Seminar] Thatcher Chamberlin

“Viscosity Dependence of Temperate Ice in Antarctic Shear Margins”

Extreme shear deformation and high shear stresses at the edges of Antarctic ice streams generate heat, which may be sufficient to warm some fraction of a column of glacier ice to its melting point. The amount of warm, or temperate, ice produced is highly dependent on n, the exponent in the viscous constitutive equation that relates stress and strain rate in ice. This study explores the change in temperate ice depth estimates when the conventional value of n=3 is replaced with a value of n=4, which recent work suggests may be more appropriate in the fast-moving shear margins. New estimates of temperate ice depths are coupled with a temperature-dependent radar attenuation model and compared to airborne radar observations to assess the suitability ice viscosity models.

ESAC Early-Career Seminar Series —

A forum for students and postdocs to share recent research, hone presentation skills, and build community among peers, sponsored by the EAPS Student Advisory Committee. Open to current EAPS graduate and undergraduate students and postdocs. Typically hosted on Thursdays during the semester, including pizza lunch.

Contact: esac.officers@gmail.com