The Cryosphere
The Cryosphere
TC
Articles | Volume 20, issue 5
Articles | Volume 20, issue 5
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-2723-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-2723-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Articles | Volume 20, issue 5
Research article
 | 
12 May 2026
Research article |  | 12 May 2026

Impact of surface melt and brine infiltration on fracture toughness of ice shelves

Emma Pearce, Oliver J. Marsh, Thomas M. Mitchell, Jukka Tuhkuri, Elizabeth R. Thomas, and Siobhan Johnson

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Short summary
Ice shelves slow the flow of Antarctic glaciers into the sea and help limit their contribution to sea level rise. Their stability depends on how different types of ice respond to stress. We collected a 37 m ice core from the Brunt Ice Shelf and carried out fracture experiments to measure ice strength. We found that refrozen surface melt strengthens the ice, while salty seawater weakens it, affecting how cracks grow and how ice-shelf break-up should be modelled.
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