Articles | Volume 17, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-327-2023
© 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-17-327-2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
24 Jan 2023
Research article |
| 24 Jan 2023
| 24 Jan 2023
Timescales of outlet-glacier flow with negligible basal friction: theory, observations and modeling
Johannes Feldmann
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), Potsdam, Germany
Anders Levermann
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), Potsdam, Germany
Institute of Physics, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
LDEO, Columbia University, New York, USA
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Short summary
Here we present a scaling relation that allows the comparison of the timescales of glaciers with geometric similarity. According to the relation, thicker and wider glaciers on a steeper bed slope have a much faster timescale than shallower, narrower glaciers on a flatter bed slope. The relation is supported by observations and simplified numerical simulations. We combine the scaling relation with a statistical analysis of the topography of 13 instability-prone Antarctic outlet glaciers.
Here we present a scaling relation that allows the comparison of the timescales of glaciers with...
