Articles | Volume 18, issue 12
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-5573-2024
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-5573-2024
Research article
 | 
03 Dec 2024
Research article |  | 03 Dec 2024

The influence of firn layer material properties on surface crevasse propagation in glaciers and ice shelves

Theo Clayton, Ravindra Duddu, Tim Hageman, and Emilio Martínez-Pañeda

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Cited articles

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Short summary
We develop and validate new analytical solutions that quantitatively consider how the properties of ice vary along the depth of ice shelves and that can be readily used in existing ice sheet models. Depth-varying firn properties are found to have a profound impact on ice sheet fracture and calving events. Our results show that grounded glaciers are less vulnerable than previously anticipated, while floating ice shelves are significantly more vulnerable to fracture and calving.