Articles | Volume 17, issue 5
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-2139-2023
© Author(s) 2023. 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-17-2139-2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
25 May 2023
Research article |
| 25 May 2023
| 25 May 2023
Simulating the Laurentide Ice Sheet of the Last Glacial Maximum
Departamento de Física de la Tierra y Astrofísica, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Facultad de Ciencias Físicas, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Instituto de Geociencias, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Jorge Alvarez-Solas
Departamento de Física de la Tierra y Astrofísica, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Facultad de Ciencias Físicas, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Instituto de Geociencias, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Javier Blasco
Departamento de Física de la Tierra y Astrofísica, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Facultad de Ciencias Físicas, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Instituto de Geociencias, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Laboratoire de Glaciologie, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
Marisa Montoya
Departamento de Física de la Tierra y Astrofísica, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Facultad de Ciencias Físicas, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Instituto de Geociencias, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Alexander Robinson
Departamento de Física de la Tierra y Astrofísica, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Facultad de Ciencias Físicas, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Instituto de Geociencias, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Earth System Analysis, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
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Javier Blasco, Jorge Alvarez-Solas, Alexander Robinson, and Marisa Montoya
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During the Last Glacial Maximum the Antarctic Ice Sheet was larger and more extended than at present. However, neither its exact position nor the total ice volume are well constrained. Here we investigate how the different climatic boundary conditions, as well as basal friction configurations, affect the size and extent of the Antarctic Ice Sheet and discuss its potential implications.
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Short summary
We have reconstructed the Laurentide Ice Sheet, located in North America during the Last Glacial Maximum (21 000 years ago). The absence of direct measurements raises a number of uncertainties. Here we study the impact of different physical laws that describe the friction as the ice slides over its base. We found that the Laurentide Ice Sheet is closest to prior reconstructions when the basal friction takes into account whether the base is frozen or thawed during its motion.
We have reconstructed the Laurentide Ice Sheet, located in North America during the Last Glacial...
