The response of a floating ice sheet to an accelerating line load

The two-dimensional response of a thin, floating sheet of ice to a line load that accelerates from rest at $t = 0$ to a uniform velocity V for $t \geq T$ is determined through an integral-transform solution of the linearized equations of motion. If $T = 0$ – i.e. if the load is impulsively started with velocity V – the solution exhibits singularities at $V = c_0$, the shallow-water-gravity-wave speed, and $V = c_{\min}$, the minimum speed for transverse motion of the ice, but these singularities are avoided by the acceleration of the load through the critical speeds

Joint inversion estimate of regional glacial isostatic adjustment in Antarctica considering a lateral varying Earth structure (ESA STSE Project REGINA)

A major uncertainty in determining the mass balance of the Antarctic ice sheet from measurements of satellite gravimetry, and to a lesser extent satellite altimetry, is the poorly known correction for the ongoing deformation of the solid Earth caused by glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA). Although much progress has been made in consistently modelling the ice-sheet evolution throughout the last glacial cycle, as well as the induced bedrock deformation caused by these load changes, forward models of GIA remain ambiguous due to the lack of observational constraints on the ice sheet's past extent and thickness and mantle rheology beneath the continent. As an alternative to forward modelling GIA, we estimate GIA from multiple space-geodetic observations: GRACE, Envisat/ICESat and GPS. Making use of the different sensitivities of the respective satellite observations to current and past surface mass (ice mass) change and solid Earth processes, we estimate GIA based on viscoelastic response functions to disc load forcing. We calculate and distribute the viscoelastic response functions according to estimates of the variability of lithosphere thickness and mantle viscosity in Antarctica. We compare our GIA estimate with published GIA corrections and evaluate its impact in determining the ice mass balance in Antarctica from GRACE and satellite altimetry. Particular focus is applied to the Amundsen Sea Sector in West Antarctica, where uplift rates of several cm/yr have been measured by GPS. We show that most of this uplift is caused by the rapid viscoelastic response to recent ice-load changes, enabled by the presence of a low-viscosity upper mantle in West Antarctica. This paper presents the second and final contribution summarizing the work carried out within a European Space Agency funded study, REGINA, (www.regina-science.eu)

The response of ice cover to a load moving along a frozen channel

Deflections and stresses in an ice cover of a frozen channel caused by a load moving with a constant speed along the channel are studied. The channel is of rectangular cross section. The ice cover is isotropic and clamped to the walls of the channel. The fluid in the channel is inviscid and incompressible. The external load is modeled by a localized smooth pressure distribution moving along the central line of the channel. The ice cover is modeled as a viscoelastic plate. Deflection of the ice and strains in the ice plate are independent of time in the coordinate system moving together with the load. The effect of the channel walls on the ice response is studied. This effect can be significant in experiments with loads moving in ice tanks. The linear hydroelastic problem is solved by using the Fourier transform along the channel and the method of normal modes across the channel. It is found that the presence of the vertical walls of the channel reduces the ice deflection but increases the elastic strains in the ice plate. The effects of the load speed, width and depth of the channel on the hydroelastic response of the ice cover are studied in detail. In contrast to the problem of a load moving on ice sheets of infinite extent, there are infinitely many critical speeds of hydroelastic waves in a frozen channel. Correspondingly, there are many values of the speeds of a moving load at which the stresses in the ice cover are amplified. The obtained deflections and strains in the canned ice cover are compared with the corresponding solutions for the infinite ice plate and with the solutions of simplified problems without account for the dynamic component of the liquid pressure. It is shown that the models of ice response without hydrodynamic component of the pressure provide correct stresses in the ice sheet only for very low speeds of the moving load

The response of a floating ice sheet to an accelerating line load

The two-dimensional response of a thin, floating sheet of ice to a line load that accelerates from rest at $t = 0$ to a uniform velocity V for $t \geq T$ is determined through an integral-transform solution of the linearized equations of motion. If $T = 0$ – i.e. if the load is impulsively started with velocity V – the solution exhibits singularities at $V = c_0$, the shallow-water-gravity-wave speed, and $V = c_{\min}$, the minimum speed for transverse motion of the ice, but these singularities are avoided by the acceleration of the load through the critical speeds

The ice response to an oscillating load moving along a frozen channel

Unsteady response of an ice cover to an oscillating load moving along a frozen rectangular channel is studied for large times. The channel is filled with ideal incompressible fluid. The ice cover is modelled by a thin elastic plate. The flow caused by the deflection of the ice cover is potential. The problem is formulated within the linear theory of hydroelasticity. External load is modelled by a smooth localized pressure distribution. The load has periodic magnitude and moves along the channel with constant speed. Joint system of equations for the ice plate and the flow potential is closed by initial and boundary conditions: the ice plate is frozen to the walls of the channel, the flow velocity potential satisfies the impermeability condition at the rigid walls of the channel and linearized kinematic and dynamic conditions at the ice-liquid interface; at the initial time the load is stationary, the fluid in the channel is at rest and the stationary ice deflection is determined from the plate equation for the initial magnitude of the load. The problem is solved with the help of the Fourier transform along the channel. The ice deflection profile across the channel is sought in the form of the series of the eigenmodes of the ice cover oscillations in a channel. The solution of the problem is obtained in quadratures and consists of three parts: (1) symmetric with respect to the load deflection corresponding to the stationary load; (2) deflection corresponding to steady waves propagating at the load speed; (3) deflection corresponding to waves propagating from the load and caused by the oscillations of the load. The number of the last waves, depending on the parameters, can not exceed four for each eigenmode. In this article the results of the analytical and numerical analysis of the considered problem is presented

On-ice measures of external load in relation to match outcome in elite female ice hockey

The aim of this study is to investigate the differences between select on-ice measures using inertial movement sensors based on match outcome, and to determine changes in player movements across three periods of play. Data were collected during one season of competition in elite female ice hockey players (N = 20). Two-factor mixed effects ANOVAs for each skating position were performed to investigate the differences in match outcome, as well as differences in external load measures during the course of a match. For match outcome, there was a small difference for forwards in explosive ratio (p = 0.02, ES = 0.26) and percentage high force strides (p = 0.04, ES = 0.50). When viewed across three periods of a match, moderate differences were found in skating load (p = 0.01, ES = 0.75), explosive efforts (p = 0.04, ES = 0.63), and explosive ratio (p = 0.002, ES = 0.87) for forwards, and in PlayerLoad (p = 0.01, ES = 0.70), explosive efforts (p = 0.04, ES = 0.63), and explosive ratio (p = 0.01, ES = 0.70) for defense. When examining the relevance to match outcome, external load measures associated with intensity appear to be an important factor among forwards. These results may be helpful for coaches and sport scientists when making decisions pertaining to training and competition strategies.York University Librarie

Snow metamorphism: a fractal approach

Snow is a porous disordered medium consisting of air and three water phases: ice, vapour and liquid. The ice phase consists of an assemblage of grains, ice matrix, initially arranged over a random load bearing skeleton. The quantitative relationship between density and morphological characteristics of different snow microstructures is still an open issue. In this work, a three-dimensional fractal description of density corresponding to different snow microstructure is put forward. First, snow density is simulated in terms of a generalized Menger sponge model. Then, a fully three-dimensional compact stochastic fractal model is adopted. The latter approach yields a quantitative map of the randomness of the snow texture, which is described as a three-dimensional fractional Brownian field with the Hurst exponent H varying as continuous parameter. The Hurst exponent is found to be strongly dependent on snow morphology and density. The approach might be applied to all those cases where the morphological evolution of snow cover or ice sheets should be conveniently described at a quantitative level

Computation of a combined spherical-elastic and viscous-half-space earth model for ice sheet simulation

This report starts by describing the continuum model used by Lingle & Clark (1985) to approximate the deformation of the earth under changing ice sheet and ocean loads. That source considers a single ice stream, but we apply their underlying model to continent-scale ice sheet simulation. Their model combines Farrell's (1972) elastic spherical earth with a viscous half-space overlain by an elastic plate lithosphere. The latter half-space model is derivable from calculations by Cathles (1975). For the elastic spherical earth we use Farrell's tabulated Green's function, as do Lingle & Clark. For the half-space model, however, we propose and implement a significantly faster numerical strategy, a spectral collocation method (Trefethen 2000) based directly on the Fast Fourier Transform. To verify this method we compare to an integral formula for a disc load. To compare earth models we build an accumulation history from a growing similarity solution from (Bueler, et al.~2005) and and simulate the coupled (ice flow)-(earth deformation) system. In the case of simple isostasy the exact solution to this system is known. We demonstrate that the magnitudes of numerical errors made in approximating the ice-earth system are significantly smaller than pairwise differences between several earth models, namely, simple isostasy, the current standard model used in ice sheet simulation (Greve 2001, Hagdorn 2003, Zweck & Huybrechts 2005), and the Lingle & Clark model. Therefore further efforts to validate different earth models used in ice sheet simulations are, not surprisingly, worthwhile.Comment: 36 pages, 16 figures, 3 Matlab program