Dynamic characteristics simulation of a temperate glacier based on an Elmers/Ice model

Abstract

Abstract A large number of temperate glaciers are distributed in the southwest of China. Due to the effects of perennial high temperatures and excess rainfall, the movement and variations of these temperate glaciers are quite different from those of continental glaciers. To further understand the regulation of changes intemperate glaciers, we simulated the variations in the dynamic characteristic of the Hailuogou(HLG)glacier under the conditions of warm and wet climate based on the Elmer/Ice model in this study. The ice velocity, temperature and deviatoric stress in different directions were calculated. The results were as follows:(1)The high temperature in the ablation zone led to the long-term high-speed movement of glaciers;(2) Stress simulation showed that many areas of the HLG glacier were under the action of tensile force, and there was a certain compressive force occurred only at the positions where the upstream ice surface became narrow from wide, indicating that the viscosity of ice body was low; (3) Because the ice body was in a low viscosity state for a long time, the mass loss caused by ice flow and ablation was great, thus the ablation zone was in a large negative mass balance state. Moreover, the changes of the HLG glacier over the next 40 years were simulated based on two kinds of climatic scenario(RCP4.5 andRCP8.5).The results presented that the ice flow flux in the glacial accumulation zone was difficult to compensate for the mass loss in the ablation zone under the current state of mass balance variation, and then the ablation zone would shrink in the next 40 years. Thus, this study also revealed that temperate glaciers were more sensitive to climate than continental glaciers.