[PAOCQ] Ching-Yao Lai (Stanford)

“Complex flows in the cryosphere”

The cryosphere exhibits a diverse range of icy fluid dynamics, from glaciers creeping under their own weight, sea ice drifting in response to winds and ocean currents, to the jamming of densely packed granular mélange. These complex ice flows are fascinating yet challenging to model due to our limited understanding of their mechanical properties, such as viscosity at relevant scales. In this talk, I will discuss two poorly understood aspects of ice-flow modeling, and opportunities to gain insights through data, modeling and deep learning. The first concerns the inversion of the poorly constrained viscosity of Antarctic glacial ice. The viscosity of glacial ice directly governs its dynamics but is challenging, if not impossible, to directly measure in the field. Here, through physics-informed deep learning and remote sensing observations, we identify flow laws of ice that differ from those previously assumed in ice-sheet models. In the second part of the talk, I will discuss the flow of ice mélange, a granular media consisting of tightly packed sea ice and icebergs. Here, we develop the first three-dimensional discrete element model of mélange along with an analytical model to quantify the force it provides to support the calving front, assessing a challenging question about mélange’s potential impact on iceberg calving.

[PAOCQ] PAOC Colloquium 

Interdisciplinary seminar series that brings together the whole PAOC (Program in Atmospheres, Oceans, and Climate) community. Seminar topics include all research concerning the physics, chemistry, and biology of the atmospheres, oceans and climate, as well as talks about societal impacts of climatic processes.  

Contact: paoc-colloquium-comm@mit.edu