Simulating a glacier: application to Engabreen

Abstract

In this thesis, a 1D flow model has been applied to Engabreen to look at the sensitivity of Engabreen to climate forcing. First the effect of various parameters, e.g. the slope and the width are examined. These effects can be explained by a balance between accumulation and ablation. In equilibrium, the amount of accumulation and ablation exactly balance each other. Next, the input data for Engabreen are determined. When this is done the model is applied to Engabreen. In the present day configuration, the length of Engabreen is around 12 km. At the end of Engabreen, the slope is relatively large and the width relatively small compared to the rest of Engabreen. A large slope causes a glacier to be less sensitive, while a relatively small width causes a glacier to be more sensitive. There is, therefore, a balance between these two processes. The glacier is found to be more sensitive for lengths around 12 km, so the effect of the smaller width is dominating. Hysteresis is found when changing the climate forcing. This is due to an overdeepening in the bed in the present accumulation area.