Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Impact Of Tide-Topography Interactions On Basal Melting Of Larsen C Ice Shelf, Antarctica, R. D. Mueller, Laurie Padman, Michael S. Dinniman, S. Y. Erofeeva, Helen A. Fricker, M. A. King

CCPO Publications

Basal melting of ice shelves around Antarctica contributes to formation of Antarctic Bottom Water and can affect global sea level by altering the offshore flow of grounded ice streams and glaciers. Tides influence ice shelf basal melt rate (w(b)) by contributing to ocean mixing and mean circulation as well as thermohaline exchanges with the ice shelf. We use a three-dimensional ocean model, thermodynamically coupled to a nonevolving ice shelf, to investigate the relationship between topography, tides, and w(b) for Larsen C Ice Shelf (LCIS) in the northwestern Weddell Sea, Antarctica. Using our best estimates of ice shelf thickness and seabed …