Written by Ethan Lee Glaciers across the tropical Andes are useful water towers for downstream communities1. During periods of drought, the melt water of these glaciers can buffer against the effects. Due to recent climate change, these glaciers are shrinking, reducing their water holding capacity2. This has massive implications in a changing world, where climate …
Interactive glacier models Get the students playing with one of these simple, browser-based interactive glacier models, and understanding concepts such as ablation, accumulation, glacier advance and recession and glacier mass balance. You can also explore the OGGM-edu (see separate page on this). NASA JPL Virtual Earth System Laboratory The folks at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory …
Why use ice-sheet models? | What is a model? | How reliable are ice-sheet models? | Model inputs and outputs | Prognostic and diagnostic models | Flowline and spatially distributed models | Modelling ice flow | The role of grid size | Summary | References | Comments | Why use ice-sheet models? A glacier or …
A introduction to the hierarchy of ice-sheet models Read More »
Sometimes, glacier modellers seem to speak a different language. Here I have started a glossary, aimed at people without expertise in glacier and ice-sheet numerical modelling. I am keen to have contributions and suggestions – please comment, email or tweet for inclusions. I have attempted to keep maths to a minimum to ensure that it …
Climate change on the Antarctic Peninsula | Glacier fluctuations on James Ross Island | Glacier modelling experiments | Summary and conclusions | Further reading | Modelled glacier response to centennial temperature and precipitation trends on the Antarctic Peninsula This article is a summary of the following paper: Davies, B.J., Golledge, N.R., Glasser, N.F., Carrivick, J.L., …
We use computer programs to help us understand why and how glaciers move and behave under different climate scenarios. We use well-understood mathmatical equations describing the physics of glaciers (for example, see the Stress and Strain page) to investigate glacier response to changing climates. Mathmatical models investigate how glaciers responded to climate change in the …
A glacier model is a simple way of describing a glacier or ice sheet, using well-understood mathematical relationships, such as the deformation rate, amount of melting, snowfall and precipitation. There are quite a few interactive glacier models on the internet that you can play with. Use these models to experiment with making glaciers and ice …
Glacier mass balance | Positive degree day sum (PDD) | Degree day factors | Degree Day Models | Summary | References | Comments | Glacier mass balance Numerical models of glaciers need to include an estimate of how much melting occurs on a glacier’s surface over the course of a year (e.g., Golledge and Levy1). …
This page on mountain glacier models was kindly contributed by Ann Rowan from the Centre for Glaciology at Aberystwyth University. Mountain glacier models | Modelling philosophy: simplicity versus complexity | Modelling glaciers in the Southern Alps, New Zealand | Recommended Reading | References | Comments | Mountain glacier models Glacier models are used to investigate …
This page was contributed by Dr Anne le Brocq from the University of Exeter. What is an ice sheet model? | Why do we need a model? | Different types of model | The process of modelling | Examples | Uncertainty | References | Comments What is an ice sheet model? A quick search on …
