Some like it hot, but not icebergs

Abstract

Mass discharge from the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets has increased dramatically over the last two decades. Iceberg calving accounts for approximately half of this discharge. Icebergs impact both the regional and large-scale ocean circulation by altering the stratification. They also impact the marine ecosystem by affecting nutrient distribution and carbon cycling. Freshwater input due to iceberg melt has the potential to impact regional sea-ice distribution and the global overturning circulation. Notwithstanding their importance, our understanding of where and how icebergs melt is limited and their representation in ocean and climate models is over-simplistic, in part due to the scarcity of quantitative field data. As a result, model-based predictions of iceberg melt rates, of the fate of the melt water, and of its impact on the ocean are highly uncertain. The focus of this lecture will be on laboratory experiments investigating the influence of the ambient flow, the icebergs’ aspect ratio and the Earth rotation on iceberg melting.