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.
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.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
12 May 2026
Research article |
| 12 May 2026
| 12 May 2026
Impact of surface melt and brine infiltration on fracture toughness of ice shelves
British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, United Kingdom
Oliver J. Marsh
British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, United Kingdom
Thomas M. Mitchell
Rock and Ice Physics Laboratory, University College London, London, United Kingdom
Jukka Tuhkuri
Aalto University, Espoo, Finland
Elizabeth R. Thomas
British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, United Kingdom
Siobhan Johnson
Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, United Kingdom
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Wille, J. D., Favier, V., Jourdain, N. C., Kittel, C., Turton, J. V., Agosta, C., Gorodetskaya, I. V., Picard, G., Codron, F., Leroy-Dos Santos, C., Amory, C., Fettweis, X., Blanchet, J., and Berchet, A.: Intense atmospheric rivers can weaken ice shelf stability at the Antarctic Peninsula, Communications Earth and Environment, 3, 90, https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-022-00422-9, 2022. a
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.
Ice shelves slow the flow of Antarctic glaciers into the sea and help limit their contribution...
