Articles | Volume 15, issue 9
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4589-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4589-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
29 Sep 2021
Research article |
| 29 Sep 2021
| 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
Dept. Earth & Environmental Sciences, Boston College, Chestnut
Hill, MA 02467, USA
David L. Goldsby
Dept. Earth & Environmental Science, University of Pennsylvania,
Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
Greg Hirth
Dept. Earth, Environmental & Planetary Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
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Cited
21 citations as recorded by crossref.
- A grain-size driven transition in the deformation mechanism in slow snow compression K. Sundu et al.
- Creep enhancement and sliding in a temperate, hard-bedded alpine glacier J. Roldán-Blasco et al.
- Reduced basal motion responsible for 50 years of declining ice velocities on Athabasca Glacier D. Polashenski et al.
- Properties of water, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen ices in planetary surface environments K. Fard & I. Smith
- Changes in grain size during the stress relaxation stage of viscoelastic firn Y. Li
- Hidden cascades of seismic ice stream deformation A. Fichtner et al.
- Modelling the influence of marine ice on the dynamics of an idealised ice shelf L. Craw et al.
- Topological alternation from structurally adaptable to mechanically stable crosslinked polymer W. Hu et al.
- How does Antarctic ice deform? B. Riel
- Deep learning the flow law of Antarctic ice shelves Y. Wang et al.
- AutoICE: An automated tool for estimating ice thickness and volume of glaciers in mountain regions P. Navinkumar & R. Ramsankaran
- Grain growth of ice doped with soluble impurities Q. Wang et al.
- Triton’s Captured Youth: Tidal Heating Kept Triton Warm and Active for Billions of Years N. Hammond & G. Collins
- A modified viscous flow law for natural glacier ice: Scaling from laboratories to ice sheets M. Ranganathan & B. Minchew
- A peridynamic framework for ice–structure interaction: modelling rate-dependent ice fracture under impact loading Y. Galadima et al.
- Glacial Thrusts: Implications for the Crustal Deformation of the Icy Satellites C. Rossi et al.
- Can changes in deformation regimes be inferred from crystallographic preferred orientations in polar ice? M. Llorens et al.
- Long-term analysis of cryoseismic events and associated ground thermal stress in Adventdalen, Svalbard R. Romeyn et al.
- Grain growth inhibited during grain size-sensitive creep in polycrystalline ice: an energy dissipation-rate perspective T. Caswell & R. Cooper
- The effect of ice shelf rheology on shelf edge bending W. Buck
- Assessing the effects of fjord geometry on Greenland tidewater glacier stability E. Fischer & A. Aschwanden
21 citations as recorded by crossref.
- A grain-size driven transition in the deformation mechanism in slow snow compression K. Sundu et al.
- Creep enhancement and sliding in a temperate, hard-bedded alpine glacier J. Roldán-Blasco et al.
- Reduced basal motion responsible for 50 years of declining ice velocities on Athabasca Glacier D. Polashenski et al.
- Properties of water, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen ices in planetary surface environments K. Fard & I. Smith
- Changes in grain size during the stress relaxation stage of viscoelastic firn Y. Li
- Hidden cascades of seismic ice stream deformation A. Fichtner et al.
- Modelling the influence of marine ice on the dynamics of an idealised ice shelf L. Craw et al.
- Topological alternation from structurally adaptable to mechanically stable crosslinked polymer W. Hu et al.
- How does Antarctic ice deform? B. Riel
- Deep learning the flow law of Antarctic ice shelves Y. Wang et al.
- AutoICE: An automated tool for estimating ice thickness and volume of glaciers in mountain regions P. Navinkumar & R. Ramsankaran
- Grain growth of ice doped with soluble impurities Q. Wang et al.
- Triton’s Captured Youth: Tidal Heating Kept Triton Warm and Active for Billions of Years N. Hammond & G. Collins
- A modified viscous flow law for natural glacier ice: Scaling from laboratories to ice sheets M. Ranganathan & B. Minchew
- A peridynamic framework for ice–structure interaction: modelling rate-dependent ice fracture under impact loading Y. Galadima et al.
- Glacial Thrusts: Implications for the Crustal Deformation of the Icy Satellites C. Rossi et al.
- Can changes in deformation regimes be inferred from crystallographic preferred orientations in polar ice? M. Llorens et al.
- Long-term analysis of cryoseismic events and associated ground thermal stress in Adventdalen, Svalbard R. Romeyn et al.
- Grain growth inhibited during grain size-sensitive creep in polycrystalline ice: an energy dissipation-rate perspective T. Caswell & R. Cooper
- The effect of ice shelf rheology on shelf edge bending W. Buck
- Assessing the effects of fjord geometry on Greenland tidewater glacier stability E. Fischer & A. Aschwanden
Saved (final revised paper)
Latest update: 28 Apr 2026
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.
Grain size is a key microphysical property of ice, controlling the rheological behavior of ice...
