ANTCAL

Title

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

Duration

September 2014 until March 2017

Budget

159.100 € funded by DFG - Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft: Schwerpunktprogramm 1158 Bereich Infrastruktur - Antarktisforschung mit vergleichenden Untersuchungen in arktischen Eisgebieten

Contact

Anders Levermann

PIK number / OEH

9764

Description

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.

Homepage

http://gepris.dfg.de/gepris/projekt/257497716?language=en