Abstract
In recent decades computer modelling of iceberg drift has passed through two cycles of interest. Navigation in ice-infested waters and the security of off-shore structures motivated such studies in the 1970s whereas in the 1990s the focus shifted to paleoclimate and ocean dynamics. Although the underlying physics remains the same, the requirements of the two types of models differ. We characterize these separate questions as the “Titanic problem” and the “Heinrich problem.” In the Titanic problem the objective is to predict the trajectory of individual icebergs with the aim of evaluating the risk of collision with maritime traffic or fixed offshore structures. In the Heinrich problem the objective is to predict the temporally-evolving spatial pattern of iceberg meltwater and the associated pattern and provenance of ice-rafted marine sedimentation.
And out there in the starlight, with no trace
Upon it of its deed but the last wave
Prom the Titanic fretting at its base,
Silent, composed, ringed by its icy broods,
The grey shape with the palaeolithic face,
Was still the master of the longitudes.
(E. J. Pratt, from The Titanic)
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Armacost, R. L. 1995. Analysis of the IIP iceberg deterioration model. Cost and operational effectiveness analysis for selected International Ice Patrol mission alternatives. Annex G. Report CG-D-26–95, U.S. Coast Guard Development Research Center, Groton, Connecticut.
Bond, G. C. and Lotti, R. 1995. Iceberg discharges into the North Atlantic on millennial time scales during the last glaciation. Science 267, 1005–1010.
Bond, G., Heinrich, H., Broecker, W., Labeyrie, L., McManus, J., Andrews, J., Huon, S., Jantschik, R., Clasen, S., Simet, C., Tedesco, K., Klas, M., Bonani, G. and Ivy, S. 1992. Evidence for massive discharges of icebergs into the North Atlantic ocean during the last glacial period. Nature 360, 245–249.
Budd, W. F., Jacka, T. H. and Morgan, V. I. 1980. Antarctic iceberg melt rates derived from size distributions and movement rates. Ann. Glaciol., 1, 103–112.
Clarke, G. K. C., Marshall, S. J., Hillaire-Marcel, C., Bilodeau, G. and Veiga-Pires, C. 1999. A glaciological perspective on Heinrich events. In Mechanisms of global change at millennial time scales (ed. P. U. Clark, R. S. Webb and L. D. Keigwin), pp. 243–262. Washington, DC: American Geophysical Union.
Dowdeswell, J. A. and Dowdeswell, E. K. 1989. Debris in icebergs and rates of glaci-marine sedimentation: observations from Spitsbergen and a simple model. J. Geol., 97, 221–231.
Dowdeswell, J. A., Maslin, M. A., Andrews, J. T. and McCave, I. N. 1995. Iceberg production, debris rafting, and the extent and thickness of Heinrich layers (H-l, H-2) in North Atlantic sediments. Geology. 23, 301–304.
Gill, A. E. 1982. Atmosphere-ocean dynamics. Academic.
Fanning, A. F. and Weaver, A. J. 1996. An atmospheric energy-moisture balance model: climatology, interpentadal climate change, and coupling to an ocean general circulation model. J. Geophys. Res., 101, 15,111–15,128.
Hamley, T. C. and Budd, W. F. 1986. Antarctic iceberg distribution and dissolution. J. Glaciol., 32, 242–251.
Heinrich, H. 1988. Origin and consequences of cyclic ice rafting in the Northeast Atlantic Ocean during the past 130,000 years. Quat. Res., 29, 142–152.
Huppert, H. E. and Josberger, E. G. 1980. The melting of ice in cold stratified water. J. Phys. Oceanogr., 10, 953–960.
Hutter, K. 1983. Theoretical glaciology. Reidel.
Josberger, E. G. and Neshyba, S. 1980. Iceberg melt-driven convection inferred from field measurements of temperature. Ann. Glaciol., 1, 113–117.
MacAyeal, D. R. 1993a. A low-order model of the Heinrich event cycle, Paleocean-ography 8, 767–773.
MacAyeal, D. R. 1993b. Binge/purge oscillations of the Laurentide ice sheet as a cause of the North Atlantic’s Heinrich events. Paleoceanography 8, 775–784.
Manabe, S. and Stouffer, R. J. 1995. Simulation of abrupt climate change induced by freshwater input to the North Atlantic Ocean. Nature 378, 165–167.
Marshall, S. J. and Clarke, G. K. C. 1997a. A continuum mixture model of ice stream thermomechanics in the Laurentide Ice Sheet 1. Theory. J. Geophys. Res. 102, 20,599–20,614.
Marshall, S. J. and Clarke, G. K. C. 1997b. A continuum mixture model of ice stream thermomechanics in the Laurentide Ice Sheet 2. Application to the Hudson Strait Ice Stream. J. Geophys. Res. 102, 20,615–20,637.
Matsumoto, K. 1996. An iceberg drift and decay model to compute the ice-rafted debris and iceberg meltwater flux: Application to the interglacial North Atlantic. Paleoceanography 11, 729–742.
Matsumoto, K. 1997. Modeled glacial North Atlantic ice-rafted debris pattern and its sensitivity to various boundary conditions. Paleoceanography 12, 271–280.
Mountain, D. G. 1980. On predicting iceberg drift. Cold Reg. Sci. Technol. 1, 273–282.
Mountain, D. G. and Mooney, K. A. 1979. A technique for the calculation of time dependent wind driven current. Ocean Engng. 6, 541–547.
Napoléoni, J.-G. P. 1979. The dynamics of iceberg drift. MASc thesis, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
Pedlosky, J. 1979. Geophysical fluid dynamics. Springer.
Pond, S. and Pickard, G. L. 1983. Introductory dynamical oceanography. 2nd edition. Pergamon.
Rahmstorf, S. 1995. Bifurcations of the Atlantic thermohaline circulation in response to changes in the hydrological cycle. Nature 378, 145–149.
Robe, R. Q. 1980. Iceberg drift and deterioration. In Dynamics of snow and ice masses (ed. S. C. Colbeck), pp. 211–259. Academic.
Rossiter, J. R. and Gustajtis, K. A. 1978. On melting icebergs. Nature, 271, 46–50.
Russell-Head, D. S. 1980. The melting of free-drifting icebergs. Ann. Glaciol., 1, 119–122.
Schlichting, H. 1979. Boundary layer theory. 1th edition. McGraw-Hill.
Sodhi, D. S. and El-Tahan, M. 1980. Prediction of an iceberg drift trajectory during a storm. Ann. Glaciol. 1, 77–82.
Venegas, S. A. and Mysak, L. A. 2000. Is there a dominant timescale of natural climate variability in the Arctic? J. Climate 13, in press.
Weaver, A. J. 1999. Millennial timescale variability in ocean/climate models. In Mechanisms of global change at millennial time scales (ed. P. U. Clark, R. S. Webb and L. D. Keigwin), pp. 285–300. Washington, DC: American Geophysical Union.
Weaver, A. J. and Hughes, T. M. C. 1994. Rapid interglacial climate fluctuations driven by North Atlantic ocean circulation. Nature 367, 447–450.
Weaver, A. J., Eby, M., Fanning, A. F. and Wiebe, E. C. 1998. Simulated influence of CO2, orbital forcing and ice sheets on climate of the last glacial maximum. Nature 394, 847–853.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2001 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Clarke, G.K.C., La Prairie, D.I. (2001). Modelling Iceberg Drift and Ice-Rafted Sedimentation. In: Straughan, B., Greve, R., Ehrentraut, H., Wang, Y. (eds) Continuum Mechanics and Applications in Geophysics and the Environment. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-04439-1_11
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-04439-1_11
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-07500-1
Online ISBN: 978-3-662-04439-1
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive