ANTCAL

The influence of fracture-induced calving on Antarctica's contribution to future sea-level change

The project encompasses: A) the expansion of the fracture density approach to account for the depth and orientation of fractures on their way down the flow towards the calving front; B) an extended calving law based on rift formation, validated against observational data and tested in regional simulations. Providing a probability density function for calving based on statistics; C) a paleoclimatic simulation of the Antarctic ice sheet (about 20.000 years) with fracture-related model improvements. Coupling to an ocean model for the transport of released icebergs, validation against sediment records. -- This research is relevant for society, because it improves the understanding of rapid sea-level changes in the past and provides therewith the necessary knowledge for the risk assessment of such events in an increasingly warming future climate.

Duration

Sep 01, 2014 until Mar 31, 2017

Funding Agency

DFG - Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft

Funding Call

Schwerpunktprogramm 1158 Bereich Infrastruktur - Antarktisforschung mit vergleichenden Untersuchungen in arktischen Eisgebieten

Contact

Anders Levermann