[SLS] Bethan Wynne-Cattanach (Cambridge)

“Large-eddy simulations of the ice-shelf-ocean boundary layer beneath basal terraces”

This talk will focus on how ocean-driven melting of ice shelves is modulated by the basal geometry. Observations have shown that topography beneath rapidly melting ice shelves in warm cavities is complex. This includes terraces which are large enough to disrupt the ice-ocean boundary layer and modify melt rates but are too small to be resolved by regional and global models.

I will present ongoing work using three-dimensional, turbulence-permitting large-eddy simulations of the ice-ocean boundary layer with Oceananigans.jl. I examine the influence of ice-base slope, stratification, and basal terraces on ocean turbulence and ice melt. The basal geometries and oceanic conditions are chosen to be representative of those observed within an ice base channel of Pine Island Glacier Ice Shelf, the fastest melting glacier in Antarctica. I focus on the dynamics driven by the buoyant melt water plume along the terrace, and vary the height of the terrace relative to the boundary layer thickness to investigate different flow regimes.

Sack Lunch Seminar Series —
Informal seminar series within PAOC (Program in Atmospheres, Oceans, and Climate) that focuses on more specialized topics than the PAOC Colloquium. The presentations are either given by an invited speaker or by a member of PAOC and can focus on new research or discussion of a paper of particular interest.

Contact: sacklunch-committee@mit.edu