The implementation and effectiveness of Calving Algorithms in numerical ice models (CalvingMIP)
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Ice calving plays a significant role in ice sheet mass loss. Predictions of future ice sheet mass balance require accurate representations of the calving process in numerical ice models to determine rates of future global mean sea level rise. Whilst calving has recently begun to be implemented in numerical models there has not yet been a systematic investigation into how this implementation compares between different ice flow models. The Calving Model Intercomparison Project (CalvingMIP) has been established to address this question by providing a framework of experiments to investigate the accuracy of simulated calving rates and how simulated properties at the calving front evolve over time. Our initial focus has been on how calving is implemented in models, therefore focusing on calving algorithms, rather than on how much ice should be calved at a particular time via a calving law. Our results, from thirteen different numerical modelling groups, show that the majority of calving algorithms implemented are able to accurately implement a given calving rate with an ice front that evolves smoothly throughout the calving process, albeit with slightly more variation of results in a more complex domain. These results show that we can have confidence in the models capacity to accurately implement calving laws in the future.
Source: The Cryosphere
Authors: James R. Jordan, Frank Pattyn, Daniel Abele, Torsten Albrecht, Jorge Alvarez-Solas, Jowan M. Barnes, Tijn Berends, Jorge A. Bernales, Javier Blasco, Gong Cheng, Youngmin Choi, Stephen L. Cornford, Cruz Garcia-Molina, Fabien Gillet-Chaulet, G. Hilmar Gudmundsson, Angelika Humbert, Gunter R. Leguy, William H. Lipscomb, Marisa Montoya, Daniel Moreno-Parada, Mathieu Morlighem, Tyler Pelle, Alexander Robinson, Martin Rückamp, Hélène Seroussi, Yanmei Tian, Luisa Wagner, Roderick S. W. van de Wal, Liyun Zhao, Thomas Zwinger
Institutions: Swansea University, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e. V. (DLR), Technical University of Munich, Leibniz Association, Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Instituto de Geociencias, Northumbria University, Utrecht University, Danish Meteorological Institute, Dartmouth College, Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, University of Bristol, Institut polytechnique de Grenoble, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement, Institut des Géosciences de l'Environnement, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, University of Bremen, NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research, NSF NCAR Climate and Global Dynamics Laboratory, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Beijing Normal University, CSC - IT Center for Science (Finland)
Language: English
Subfield: Atmospheric Science
Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDG: Climate action
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,574
Funders: National Science Foundation, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, European Commission, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung, Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, Novo Nordisk, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Horizon 2020 Framework Programme, HORIZON EUROPE Framework Programme, National Key Research and Development Program of China, H2020 Research Infrastructures
Awards: G1078688626, G1335240794, G1374791981, Ocean Cryosphere Exchanges in ANtarctica: Impacts on Climate and the Earth system, G1604232322, G1695392763, RAPID: International Collaborative Airborne Sensor Deployments near Antarctic Ice Shelves, G2065256543, Collaborative Research: How much and why did Ice Sheets melt during the Last Interglacial (HISEAS), The Management and Operation of the National Center for Atmoshperic Research (NCAR), PROjecTing sEa-level rise : from iCe sheets to local implicaTions, G3105035837, G3601144341, G3666769161, G3822625816, HDR Institute: HARP- Harnessing Data and Model Revolution in the Polar Regions, G4895510250, G4902084404, G495187929, G509610763, New avenues for studying ice sheets in warmer climates, GEO OSE Track 2: Enhancing usability of the Parallel Ice Sheet Model (PISM) to accelerate innovative sea-level research, G5807217483, PalMod II Verbundprojekt: WP CC.1 Modellkopplung und Laufzeitoptimierung - TP4: Entwicklung des PICO-Modells zu einem ?pop-up?-Modell für transiente Glazialsimulationen, G6622453712, G6646800526, G717256432, G7287623247, Digital Twin of Earth system for Cryosphere, Land surface and related interactions, Climate Tipping Points: Uncertainty-aware quantification of Earth system tipping potential from observations and models and assessment of associated climatic, ecological, and socioeconomic impacts, G8920660035, G8957829834, PalMod III - Verbundprojekt WP 1.4 Instabilitäten der Eisschilde - TP: 2 Interaktion vom Grönländischen und Antarktischen Eisschild mit dem globalen Klimasystem und der festen Erde
OpenAlex ID: W7161544285