A new peer-reviewed study published on Feb 6, 2018 in The Cryosphere investigates the important role that tides play on melting of the huge Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf (FRIS) in the southern Weddell Sea, Antarctica. The study was led by Rachael Mueller of ESR, with co-authors Susan Howard and Laurie Padman of ESR and Tore Hattermann (Akvaplan-Niva, Norway, and AWI, Germany).
The authors found that, as the FRIS cavity shape changes in response to ocean warming and enhanced melt conditions, the melting of the ice shelf will be influenced by feedbacks between cavity shape, tidal current speed, and general circulation. These feedbacks will affect how the ice shelf evolves under conditions of ocean warming, as is predicted during the 21st Century.
The full paper is available at https://www.the-cryosphere.net/12/453/2018/.