The instantaneous impact of calving and thinning on the Larsen C Ice Shelf

Mitcham, Tom; Gudmundsson, G. Hilmar; Bamber, Jonathan L.

doi:https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-883-2022

Articles | Volume 16, issue 3

https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-883-2022

© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-883-2022

© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 16, issue 3

Research article

|

11 Mar 2022

Research article |

| 11 Mar 2022

The instantaneous impact of calving and thinning on the Larsen C Ice Shelf

Tom Mitcham, G. Hilmar Gudmundsson, and Jonathan L. Bamber

Model code and software

Úa Source Code: Version v2019 G. H. Gudmundsson https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3706624

Short summary

We modelled the response of the Larsen C Ice Shelf (LCIS) and its tributary glaciers to the calving of the A68 iceberg and validated our results with observations. We found that the impact was limited, confirming that mostly passive ice was calved. Through further calving experiments we quantified the total buttressing provided by the LCIS and found that over 80 % of the buttressing capacity is generated in the first 5 km of the ice shelf downstream of the grounding line.