The temperature regime of Fimbulisen, Antarctica

Numerical simulations of the temperature regime of the ice shelf Fimbulisen, Antarctica, are presented. A vertical temperature profile (Si) of Fimbulisen has been measured at the extension of Jutulstraumen, in which the temperature decreases with depth. The three-dimensional steady-state temperature field was computed by a finite-element technique. Horizontal flow velocities and surface accumulation rates were derived from observations. The basal melt rate distribution arose from an assumption of balance in the mass continuity equation. The computed basal melt rate distribution (ab) indicates that the highest basal melt rates, up to 15 m a(-1) occur at the inflow gate of Jutulstraumen, and low basal melt rates (