The Cryosphere
The Cryosphere
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Articles | Volume 19, issue 1
Articles | Volume 19, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-249-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-249-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Articles | Volume 19, issue 1
Research article
 | 
20 Jan 2025
Research article |  | 20 Jan 2025

Wave erosion, frontal bending, and calving at Ross Ice Shelf

Nicolas B. Sartore, Till J. W. Wagner, Matthew R. Siegfried, Nimish Pujara, and Lucas K. Zoet

Data sets

NOAA/NSIDC Climate Data Record of Passive Microwave Sea Ice Concentration. (G02202, Version 4) W. N. Meier et al. https://doi.org/10.7265/efmz-2t65

ERA5 monthly averaged data on pressure levels from 1940 to present H. Hersbach et al. https://doi.org/10.24381/cds.6860a573

GHRSST Level 4 MUR Global Foundation Sea Surface Temperature Analysis. Ver. 4.1 JPL MUR MEaSUREs Project https://doi.org/10.5067/GHGMR-4FJ04

ATLAS/ICESat-2 L3A Land Ice Height. (ATL06, Version 6) B. Smith et al. https://doi.org/10.5067/ATLAS/ATL06.006

GLAS/ICESat L2 Global Antarctic and Greenland Ice Sheet Altimetry Data (HDF5). (GLAH12, Version 34) H. J. Zwally et al. https://doi.org/10.5067/ICESAT/GLAS/DATA209

Ross Ice Shelf Front Positions from Sentinel 1 (v0.1) N. Sartore https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14629927

Ross Ice Shelf ICESat-1 Time Series of Frontal Deformation and Calving (v0.1) N. Sartore and M. Siegfried https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14630025

Model code and software

Code for Ice-Front and Rampart-Moat Detection and Quantification in ICESat-2 Laser Altimetry (v1.0.0) Susan L. Howard and Maya K. Becker https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4697517

nicsar2/FootlooseCalvingMechanism: Release (v0.2) Nicsar https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14634102

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Short summary
We investigate how waves may erode the front of Antarctica's largest ice shelf, Ross Ice Shelf, and how this results in bending forces that can cause deformation of the near-front shelf and trigger intermediate-scale calving (with icebergs of lengths ∼ 100 m). We compare satellite observations to theoretical estimates of erosion and ice shelf bending in order to better understand the processes underlying this type of calving and its role in the overall ice shelf mass flux.
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