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Abstract Theory and experiments indicate that ice–bed separation during glacier slip over 2-D hard beds causes basal shear stress to reach a maximum at a particular slip velocity and decrease at higher velocities. We use the sliding theory of Lliboutry (1968) to explore how friction between debris particles in sliding ice and a rock bed affects this relationship between shear stress and slip velocity. Particle–bed contact forces and associated debris friction increase with increasing slip velocity, owing to increased rates of ice convergence with up-glacier facing surfaces. However, debris friction on diminished areas of the bed counteracts this effect as cavities grow. Thus, friction from debris alone increases only slightly with slip velocity, and for sediment particles larger than ~60 mm in diameter, debris friction peaks and decreases with increasing slip velocity. The effect on the sliding relationship is to steepen its rising limb and shift its shear stress peak to a slightly higher velocity. These results, which exclude the effect of debris friction on cavity size and debris concentrations above ~15%, indicate that the effect of debris in ice is to increase basal shear stress but not significantly change the form of the sliding relationship.
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Diffuse debris entrainment in glacier, lab and model environments
Abstract Small quantities of liquid water lining triple junctions in polycrystalline glacier ice form connected vein networks that enable material exchange with underlying basal environments. Diffuse debris concentrations commonly observed in ice marginal regions might be attributed to this mechanism. Following recent cryogenic ring-shear experiments, we observed emplacement along grain boundaries of loess particles several tens of microns in size. Here, we describe an idealized model of vein liquid flow to elucidate conditions favoring such particle transport. Gradients in liquid potential drive flow toward colder temperatures and lower solute concentrations, while deviations of the ice stress state from hydrostatic balance produce additional suction toward anomalously low ice pressures. Our model predicts particle entrainment following both modest warming along the basal interface resulting from anticipated natural changes in effective stress, and the interior relaxation of temperature and solute concentration imposed by our experimental protocols. Comparisons with experimental observations are encouraging, but suggest that liquid flow rates are somewhat higher and/or more effective at dragging larger particles than predicted by our idealized model with nominal parameter choices. Diffuse debris entrainment extending several meters above the glacier bed likely requires a more sophisticated treatment that incorporates effects of ice deformation or other processes.
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- PAR ID:
- 10436704
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Annals of Glaciology
- ISSN:
- 0260-3055
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 1 to 13
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1017/aog.2023.31
