The Cryosphere
The Cryosphere
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Articles | Volume 9, issue 4
Articles | Volume 9, issue 4
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-1415-2015
© Author(s) 2015. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-1415-2015
© Author(s) 2015. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Articles | Volume 9, issue 4
Research article
 | 
04 Aug 2015
Research article |  | 04 Aug 2015

Numerical simulations and observations of the role of katabatic winds in the creation and maintenance of Scharffenbergbotnen blue ice area, Antarctica

T. Zwinger, T. Malm, M. Schäfer, R. Stenberg, and J. C. Moore

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Short summary
By deploying a large-scale high-resolution turbulent CFD simulation using the present-day topography of the Scharffenbergbotnen (SBB) valley, we show how the surrounding topography redirects incoming easterly katabatic storm fronts to impact the blue ice areas (BIA) inside the valley, where the snow cover frequently is removed. A further simulation of a reconstructed topography at the Late Glacial Maximum further reveals that the BIA at SBB must have formed after this period.
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