Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Free‐floating icebergs are important sources of cold freshwater to the polar oceans, influencing both ocean circulation and climate. The influence of ubiquitous oscillatory flows, like those resulting from local wind‐driven waves and swells, on melting has not been extensively studied. To investigate such wave motion, here we conduct laboratory experiments in which fully submerged tall blocks of pure ice are oscillated vertically in a homogeneous saltwater environment and measure the resultant melting rates. Our results indicate that oscillatory motion strongly enhances melting rates, which are controlled by side melting, above a critical velocity threshold of 3–9 times the meltwater plume velocity, with the melting rate following a velocity to the ths scaling similar to previous results with steady motion. In addition, for sufficiently high frequency oscillations we observe regular small‐scale scalloping. These results have important implications for improving the representation of iceberg sidewall melting in current ice‐ocean models.
Source: Geophysical Research Letters
DOI: 10.1029/2025gl115392
Language: English
Subfield: Atmospheric Science
Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,190
OpenAlex ID: W4411812506