A rapidly retreating, marine-terminating glacier's modeled response to perturbations in basal traction

Upernavik Isstrøm, a marine glacier undergoing rapid retreat, is simulated by forcing a numerical model with ocean-driven melt. A review of processes driving retreat led us to hypothesize that a glacier undergoing rapid retreat may be less sensitive to perturbations in the balance of forces than a glacier that is undergoing moderate changes or a glacier in steady state. Numerical experiments suggest this is not the case, and that a system in rapid retreat is as sensitive to basal traction perturbations as a system that is near to steady state. This result is important when considering other glacier systems experiencing marine-forced retreat. While the ice–ocean interface is of primary importance, additional perturbations from meltwater-forced decoupling of the glacier from its bed continue to feature in glacier dynamics.