Articles | Volume 17, issue 11
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4889-2023
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4889-2023
Research article
 | 
21 Nov 2023
Research article |  | 21 Nov 2023

Evaluation of four calving laws for Antarctic ice shelves

Joel A. Wilner, Mathieu Morlighem, and Gong Cheng

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We use numerical modeling to study iceberg calving off of ice shelves in Antarctica. We examine four widely used mathematical descriptions of calving (calving laws), under the assumption that Antarctic ice shelf front positions should be in steady state under the current climate forcing. We quantify how well each of these calving laws replicates the observed front positions. Our results suggest that the eigencalving and von Mises laws are most suitable for Antarctic ice shelves.
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