Dissolution of a sloping solid surface by turbulent compositional convection

McConnochie, Craig; Kerr, Ross C.

doi:10.1017/jfm.2018.282

Cited by 24 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Here we assume a flat (nonsloping) ice shelf, for which melting does not generate a buoyant plume. Recent LES (29) demonstrated that flat ice shelf results can also be extended to basal slope angles of up to 5 • , a result that is consistent with plume theory (50). Over large scales, basal slopes in ice shelf drafts are extremely small, with smaller angles near the front and somewhat steeper angles near the grounding line (7).…”

Section: Methodssupporting

confidence: 57%

The role of double-diffusive convection in basal melting of Antarctic ice shelves

Rosevear

Gayen

2021

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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The Antarctic Ice Sheet loses about half its mass through ocean-driven melting of its fringing ice shelves. However, the ocean processes governing ice shelf melting are not well understood, contributing to uncertainty in projections of Antarctica’s contribution to global sea level. We use high-resolution large-eddy simulation to examine ocean-driven melt, in a geophysical-scale model of the turbulent ice shelf–ocean boundary layer, focusing on the ocean conditions observed beneath the Ross Ice Shelf. We quantify the role of double-diffusive convection in determining ice shelf melt rates and oceanic mixed layer properties in relatively warm and low-velocity cavity environments. We demonstrate that double-diffusive convection is the first-order process controlling the melt rate and mixed layer evolution at these flow conditions, even more important than vertical shear due to a mean flow, and is responsible for the step-like temperature and salinity structure, or thermohaline staircase, observed beneath the ice. A robust feature of the multiday simulations is a growing saline diffusive sublayer that drives a time-dependent melt rate. This melt rate is lower than current ice–ocean parameterizations, which consider only shear-controlled turbulent melting, would predict. Our main finding is that double-diffusive convection is an important process beneath ice shelves, yet is currently neglected in ocean–climate models.

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Section: Methodssupporting

confidence: 57%

The role of double-diffusive convection in basal melting of Antarctic ice shelves

Rosevear

Gayen

2021

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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“…Figure 14 illustrates the development of a regular pattern of convective rolls which flow along the surface of the body, characterised by a much thicker boundary-layer region compared to the laminar region shown in figure 14. Experiments of turbulent composition free convection of ice melting into ambient salty water (Kerr & McConnochie 2015; McConnochie & Kerr 2018) indicate that the rate of heat or solutal transfer in this regime becomes independent of the distance moved downstream of the body, but still depends on the local slope. It is anticipated that an evolution equation analogous to the kind we have developed (2.16 a , b ) could be derived to couple a transfer law applicable to turbulent free convection to the shape evolution and analysed to derive shape evolutions in this case.…”

Section: Summary and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shaping of melting and dissolving solids under natural convection

Pegler

Wykes

2020

J. Fluid Mech.

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“…McConnochie and Kerr, 2018;Mondal et al, 2019). However, we emphasize that further investigation is needed beyond the small number of simulations presented here to validate our results.…”

Section: Insights Into Melt Rate Sensitivity To Ocean Conditionsmentioning

confidence: 63%

Ice-shelf ocean boundary layer dynamics from large-eddy simulations

Begeman

Asay‐Davis

Roekel

2021

Preprint

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Abstract. Small scale, turbulent flow below ice shelves is regionally isolated and difficult to measure and simulate. Yet these small scale processes, which regulate heat transfer between the ocean and ice shelves, can affect sea-level rise by altering the ability of Antarctic ice shelves to “buttress” ice flux to the ocean. In this study, we improve our understanding of turbulence below ice shelves by means of large-eddy simulations at sub-meter resolution, capturing boundary layer mixing at scales intermediate between laboratory experiments or direct numerical simulations and regional or global ocean circulation models. Our simulations feature the development of an ice-shelf ocean boundary layer through dynamic ice melting in a regime with low thermal driving, low ice-shelf basal slope, and strong shear driven by the geostrophic flow. We present a preliminary assessment of existing ice-shelf basal melt parameterizations adopted in single component or coupled ice-sheet and ocean models on the basis of a small parameter study. While the parameterized linear relationship between ice-shelf melt rate and far-field ocean temperature appears to be robust, we point out a little-considered relationship between ice-shelf basal slope and melting worthy of further study.

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Dissolution of a sloping solid surface by turbulent compositional convection

Cited by 24 publications

References 26 publications

The role of double-diffusive convection in basal melting of Antarctic ice shelves

The role of double-diffusive convection in basal melting of Antarctic ice shelves

Shaping of melting and dissolving solids under natural convection

Ice-shelf ocean boundary layer dynamics from large-eddy simulations

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