Symplectic gaugings and the field-antifield formalism

We give an example of how conventional gauging methods obstruct a systematic analysis of gauged supergravities. We discuss how the embedding tensor formalism deals with these problems and argue that the gauge algebra related to the embedding tensor formalism is soft, open and reducible. We connect the embedding tensor formalism to the field-antifield (or Batalin-Vilkovisky) formalism, which is the most general formulation known for gauge theories.Comment: Contribution to the Proceedings of the XVIth European Workshop on String Theory in Madrid (June 14-18, 2010), 10 page

Coupled ice shelf-ocean modeling and complex grounding line retreat from a seabed ridge

Recent observations and modeling work have shown a complex mechanical coupling between Antarctica's floating ice shelves and the adjacent grounded ice sheet. A prime example is Pine Island Glacier, West Antarctica, which has a strong negative mass balance caused by a recent increase in ocean-induced melting of its ice shelf. The mass loss coincides with the retreat of the grounding line from a seabed ridge, on which it was at least partly grounded until the 1970s. At present, it is unclear what has caused the onset of this retreat and how feedback mechanisms between the ocean and ice shelf geometry have influenced the ice dynamics. To address these questions, we present the first results from an offline coupling between a state-of-the-art shallow-ice flow model with grounding line resolving capabilities and a three-dimensional ocean general circulation model with a static implementation of the ice shelf. A series of idealized experiments simulate the retreat from a seabed ridge in response to changes in the ocean forcing, and we show that the retreat becomes irreversible after 20 years of warm ocean conditions. A comparison to experiments with a simple depth-dependent melt rate parameterization demonstrates that such parameterizations are unable to capture the details of the retreat process, and they overestimate mass loss by more than 40% over a 50 year timescal

Five decades of strong temporal variability in the flow of Brunt Ice Shelf, Antarctica

Data showing velocity changes on the Brunt Ice Shelf (BIS), Antarctica, over the last 55 years are presented and analysed. During this period no large-scale calving events took place and the ice shelf gradually grew in size. Ice flow velocities, however, fluctuated greatly, increasing twofold between 1970 and 2000, then decreasing again to previous levels by 2012 after which velocities started to increase yet again. In the observational period, velocity changes in the order of 10% a−1 have commonly been observed, and currently velocities are increasing at this rate. By modelling the ice flow numerically, we explore potential causes for the observed changes in velocity. We find that a loss of mechanical contact between the BIS and the McDonald Ice Rumples following a local calving event in 1971 would explain both the increase and the subsequent decrease in ice velocities. Other explanations involving enlargement of observed rift structures are discounted as the effects on ice flow are found to be too small and the spatial pattern of velocity change inconsistent with data. The most recent phase of acceleration remains unexplained but may potentially be related to a recent re-activation of a known rift structure within the BIS

Relating surface and bed properties of Antarctic ice streams

Theoretical models predict that fast-flowing ice streams transmit information about their bedrock topography most efficiently to the surface for two distinct windows of length-scales. Previous studies have shown a good transfer for basal undulations with wavelengths longer than 103 ice thicknesses. In addition, a local maximum in the theoretical transfer function appears for intermediate wavelengths between 1 and 20 ice thicknesses. So far, however, no experimental evidence for this important transfer at intermediate wavelengths has been obtained. In our work we use recently acquired radar data for the Rutford Ice Stream and Evans Ice Stream to provide the first experimental confirmation for this theoretical prediction, and show that fast-flowing ice is highly transparent to bedrock irregularities with wavelengths between 1 and 20 ice thicknesses. The amplitude of this local maximum depends on various flow parameters such as Glen's flow law exponent and the slip ratio, i.e., the ratio between mean basal sliding velocity and mean deformational velocity. We find that higher values of the slip ratio generally lead to a more efficient transfer. Our results underline the importance of bedrock topography for ice stream dynamics, and exclude basal slipperiness as the only determining factor for variations in the flow regime and surface topography. In the second part of this work, we address the role of the basal sliding law in statistical inversion methods that use surface data (topography and velocity) to obtain information about the basal slipperiness distribution and bed topography. We show that different sliding laws generally lead to the retrieval of different but equally realistic basal conditions. Since the correct form of the sliding law is still disputed, the use of inversion methods to obtain unambiguous information about the bed therefore remains problematic

Calving cycle of the Brunt Ice Shelf, Antarctica, driven by changes in ice-shelf geometry

Despite the potentially detrimental impact of large-scale calving events on the geometry and ice flow of the Antarctic Ice Sheet, little is known about the processes that drive rift formation prior to calving, or what controls the timing of these events. The Brunt Ice Shelf in East Antarctica presents a rare natural laboratory to study these processes, following the recent formation of two rifts, each now exceeding 50 km in length. Here we use a unique 50-years' time series of in-situ and remote sensing observations, together with numerical modelling, to reveal how slow changes in ice shelf geometry over time caused build-up of mechanical tension far upstream of the ice front, and culminated in rift formation and a significant speed-up of the ice shelf. These internal feedbacks, whereby ice shelves generate the very conditions that lead to their own (partial) disintegration are currently missing from ice flow models, which severely limits their ability to accurately predict future sea level rise

Generalized gaugings and the field-antifield formalism

We discuss the algebra of general gauge theories that are described by the embedding tensor formalism. We compare the gauge transformations dependent and independent of an invariant action, and argue that the generic transformations lead to an infinitely reducible algebra. We connect the embedding tensor formalism to the field-antifield (or Batalin-Vilkovisky) formalism, which is the most general formulation known for general gauge theories and their quantization. The structure equations of the embedding tensor formalism are included in the master equation of the field-antifield formalism.Comment: 42 pages; v2: some clarifications and 1 reference added; version to be published in JHE

Modeling the instantaneous response of glaciers after the collapse of the Larsen B Ice Shelf

Following the disintegration of the Larsen B Ice Shelf, Antarctic Peninsula, in 2002, regular surveillance of its ∼20 tributary glaciers has revealed a response which is varied and complex in both space and time. The major outlets have accelerated and thinned, smaller glaciers have shown little or no change, and glaciers flowing into the remnant Scar Inlet Ice Shelf have responded with delay. In this study we present the first areawide numerical analysis of glacier dynamics before and immediately after the collapse of the ice shelf, combining new data sets and a state‐of‐the‐art numerical ice flow model. We simulate the loss of buttressing at the grounding line and find a good qualitative agreement between modeled changes in glacier flow and observations. Through this study, we seek to improve confidence in our numerical models and their ability to capture the complex mechanical coupling between floating ice shelves and grounded ice

The internal structure of the Brunt Ice Shelf from ice-penetrating radar analysis and implications for ice shelf fracture

The rate and direction of rift propagation through ice shelves depend on both the stress field and the heterogeneity (or otherwise) of the physical properties of the ice. The Brunt Ice Shelf in Antarctica has recently developed new rifts, which are being actively monitored as they lengthen and interact with the internal structure of the ice shelf. Here we present the results of a ground-penetrating radar survey of the Brunt Ice Shelf aimed at understanding variations in the internal structure. We find that there are flow bands composed mostly of thick (ca. 250&thinsp;m) meteoric ice interspersed with thinner (ca. 150&thinsp;m) sections of ice shelf that have a large proportion of sea ice and seawater-saturated firn. Therefore the ice shelf is, in essence, a series of ice tongues cemented together with ice mélange. The changes in structure are related both to the thickness and flow speed of ice at the grounding line and to subsequent processes of firn accumulation and brine infiltration as the ice shelf flows towards the calving front. It is shown that rifts propagating through the Brunt Ice Shelf preferentially skirt the edges of blocks of meteoric ice and slow their rate of propagation when forced by the stress field to break through them, in contrast to the situation on other ice shelves where rift propagation speeds up in meteoric ice.</p

Recent rift formation and impact on the structural integrity of the Brunt Ice Shelf, East Antarctica

We report on the recent reactivation of a large rift in the Brunt Ice Shelf, East Antarctica, in December 2012 and the formation of a 50 km long new rift in October 2016. Observations from a suite of ground-based and remote sensing instruments between January 2000 and July 2017 were used to track progress of both rifts in unprecedented detail. Results reveal a steady accelerating trend in their width, in combination with alternating episodes of fast ( > 600 m day−1) and slow propagation of the rift tip, controlled by the heterogeneous structure of the ice shelf. A numerical ice flow model and a simple propagation algorithm based on the stress distribution in the ice shelf were successfully used to hindcast the observed trajectories and to simulate future rift progression under different assumptions. Results show a high likelihood of ice loss at the McDonald Ice Rumples, the only pinning point of the ice shelf. The nascent iceberg calving and associated reduction in pinning of the Brunt Ice Shelf may provide a uniquely monitored natural experiment of ice shelf variability and provoke a deeper understanding of similar processes elsewhere in Antarctica