A new approach to ice melting rates: direct numerical simulation

Melting of grounded ice mass in the Arctic and Antarctic may play a key role in future global sea level rise and Earth's climate system. The Antarctic Ice Sheet is losing ice at an increasing rate, primarily due to ocean-driven melting beneath ice shelves. The physics of these ocean-ice interactions is poorly understood which, along with limited observation constraints, leads to uncertainties in the predictions of future melt rate. We will undertake cutting edge direct numerical simulations to examine the complex dynamics of melting of ice-shelves in the presence of convection and turbulence. The project will provide the knowledge base for improved representation of these Antarctic processes in future global ocean models from which more accurate projections of future climate and sea level will follow.