THE BASAL MELTING OF ANTARCTIC ICE SHELVES

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The project aims to determine the mechanisms that govern melting of Antarctic ice shelves into the ocean. Faster basal melting of ice shelves in the warming ocean is contributing to loss of grounded ice from Antarctica and increased glacier speeds, and melting is projected to become a larger contribution to future global sea level rise. Using unique laboratory experiments, turbulence-resolving computation and theoretical analysis the project will evaluate the roles of meltwater, ocean currents, internal wave breaking and water exchanges between the continental shelf and sub-ice cavities. The results will assist our understanding of measurements made in Antarctica and more reliable predictions of sea level rise.