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

Viewed

Total article views: 2,880 (including HTML, PDF, and XML)
HTML PDF XML Total BibTeX EndNote
1,962 721 197 2,880 151 166
  • HTML: 1,962
  • PDF: 721
  • XML: 197
  • Total: 2,880
  • BibTeX: 151
  • EndNote: 166
Views and downloads (calculated since 05 Nov 2025)
Cumulative views and downloads (calculated since 05 Nov 2025)

Viewed (geographical distribution)

Total article views: 2,880 (including HTML, PDF, and XML) Thereof 2,880 with geography defined and 0 with unknown origin.
Country # Views %
  • 1
1
 
 
 
 
Latest update: 12 May 2026
Download
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.
Read more
Share