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Flow law for ice in polar ice sheets

Doake, C.S.M.; Wolff, Eric W.. 1985 Flow law for ice in polar ice sheets. Nature, 314 (6008). 255-257. https://doi.org/10.1038/314255a0

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Abstract/Summary

Theories of glacier flow are based commonly on the assumption that ice is not a newtonian fluid, but has a non-linear stress-dependent viscosity1–5. Here we re-examine the spreading of Antarctic ice shelves and suggest that the data cannot define a unique flow law. Tilt measurements in four boreholes in both the Arctic and Antarctic seem to show that a linear flow law ε̇ = A1τ (where A1∼10−15 s−1 Pa−1 at −28 °C), where ε̇ is the effective strain rate and τ the effective shear stress, may be just as appropriate for describing the flow of polar ice sheets.

Item Type: Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI): https://doi.org/10.1038/314255a0
ISSN: 0028-0836
Additional Keywords: ice sheets
Date made live: 15 May 2019 07:45 +0 (UTC)
URI: https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/523337

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