The stability of grounding lines on retrograde slopes

Gudmundsson, Hilmar, Krug, J., Durand, G., Favier, L. and Gagliardini, O. (2012) The stability of grounding lines on retrograde slopes. The Cryosphere, 6 (6). pp. 1497-1505. ISSN 1994-0424

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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/tc-6-1497-2012

Abstract

The stability of marine ice sheets grounded on beds that slope upwards in the overall direction of flow is investigated numerically in two horizontal dimensions. We give examples of stable grounding lines on such retrograde slopes illustrating that marine ice sheets are not unconditionally unstable in two horizontal dimensions. Retrograde bed slopes at the grounding lines of marine ice sheets, such as the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS), do not per se imply an instability, nor do they imply that these regions are close to a threshold of instability. We therefore question those estimates of the potential near-future contribution of WAIS to global sea level change based solely on the notion that WAIS, resting on a retrograde slope, must be inherently unstable.

Item Type: Article
Subjects: F800 Physical and Terrestrial Geographical and Environmental Sciences
Department: Faculties > Engineering and Environment > Geography and Environmental Sciences
Depositing User: Becky Skoyles
Date Deposited: 12 Jul 2018 08:40
Last Modified: 01 Aug 2021 12:49
URI: http://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/34946

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