A stress-based poro-damage phase field model for hydrofracturing of creeping glaciers and ice shelves

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel stress-based poro-damage phase field model to simulate hydrofracture-driven crevasse growth in glaciers and ice shelves, improving prediction accuracy for sea-level rise contributions.

Contribution

It develops a comprehensive computational framework combining non-linear ice rheology, phase field crack modeling, and poro-damage effects, addressing large-scale iceberg calving processes.

Findings

Successfully modeled 2D and 3D crevasse interactions.

Predicted crevasse growth in both grounded and floating ice.

Reduced length-scale sensitivity for large-scale applications.

Abstract

There is a need for computational models capable of predicting meltwater-assisted crevasse growth in glacial ice. Mass loss from glaciers and ice sheets is the largest contributor to sea-level rise and iceberg calving due to hydrofracture is one of the most prominent yet less understood glacial mass loss processes. To overcome the limitations of empirical and analytical approaches, we here propose a new phase field-based computational framework to simulate crevasse growth in both grounded ice sheets and floating ice shelves. The model incorporates the three elements needed to mechanistically simulate hydrofracture of surface and basal crevasses: (i) a constitutive description incorporating the non-linear viscous rheology of ice, (ii) a phase field formulation capable of capturing cracking phenomena of arbitrary complexity, such as 3D crevasse interaction, and (iii) a poro-damage representation to account for the role of meltwater pressure on crevasse growth. A stress-based phase field model is adopted to reduce the length-scale sensitivity, as needed to tackle the large scales of iceberg calving, and to adequately predict crevasse growth in tensile stress regions of incompressible solids. The potential of the computational framework presented is demonstrated by addressing a number of 2D and 3D case studies, involving single and multiple crevasses, and considering both grounded and floating conditions. The computational framework presented opens new horizons in the modelling of iceberg calving and, due to its ability to incorporate incompressible behaviour, can be readily incorporated into numerical ice sheet models for projecting sea-level rise.