Articles | Volume 15, issue 9
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4589-2021
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4589-2021
Research article
 | 
29 Sep 2021
Research article |  | 29 Sep 2021

The role of grain size evolution in the rheology of ice: implications for reconciling laboratory creep data and the Glen flow law

Mark D. Behn, David L. Goldsby, and Greg Hirth

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Status: closed
Status: closed
AC: Author comment | RC: Referee comment | SC: Short comment | EC: Editor comment
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Peer-review completion

AR: Author's response | RR: Referee report | ED: Editor decision
ED: Reconsider after major revisions (further review by editor and referees) (30 Mar 2021) by Carlos Martin
AR by Mark Behn on behalf of the Authors (25 May 2021)  Author's response    Author's tracked changes    Manuscript
ED: Referee Nomination & Report Request started (26 May 2021) by Carlos Martin
RR by Anonymous Referee #1 (11 Jun 2021)
RR by Paul D. Bons (23 Jun 2021)
ED: Publish subject to minor revisions (review by editor) (06 Jul 2021) by Carlos Martin
AR by Mark Behn on behalf of the Authors (10 Jul 2021)  Author's response    Author's tracked changes    Manuscript
ED: Publish as is (23 Aug 2021) by Carlos Martin
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Short summary
Grain size is a key microphysical property of ice, controlling the rheological behavior of ice sheets and glaciers. In this study, we develop a new model for grain size evolution in ice and show that it accurately predicts grain size in laboratory experiments and in natural ice core data. The model provides a physical explanation for the power-law relationship between stress and strain rate known as the Glen law and can be used as a predictive tool for modeling ice flow in natural systems.