Abstract
An ice stream flowing through a convergent bedrock channel may experience a special type of ice deformation, influencing its internal temperature distribution and thus its surface velocity. A glacier confluence represents a well defined special case of converging flow. Field measurements at the confluence of an Alpine glacier were linked to numerical modelling. An exponent n = 3 in Glen's flow law provides the best agreement of numerical and experimental results, although this flow law is not perfectly suited for describing ice flow under strongly three-dimensional conditions. The work presented here refers to essentially non-sliding conditions. This study will help in understanding erosive patterns at glacier confluences.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1-120 |
| Journal | Mitteilungen - Versuchsanstat fur Wasserbau, Hydrologie und Glaziologie, ETH Zurich |
| Volume | 131 |
| Publication status | Published - 1994 |