Increased Melting of Marine-Terminating Glaciers by Sediment-Laden Plumes

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Abstract
This paper summarizes the results of the first investigation into the effect of particle-laden plumes on glacier melting using laboratory experiments. We find that the melt rate, when the ice is exposed to a particle-laden plume, can be increased by up to 60% compared to when the ice is exposed to an equivalent plume without particles. The increased melt rate is linked to increased entrainment into the turbulent plume, demonstrating a link between turbulent entrainment and the melt rate of the ice face. We use this link to propose a modification to the commonly used ‘three-equation model’ that explicitly accounts for variations in entrainment rates.
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Funding Information
  • National Science Foundation (OCE-1434041)
  • National Science Foundation (OCE-1658079)