Ryan Woodard ice: Difference between revisions
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A common approximation used to model ice flow is the diffusion equation. When a term is introduced to model ice sliding (for glacier surges and ice streams), the equation looks suspiciously like one that can describe systems exhibiting self-organized criticality (SOC). The types of systems that are suspected of being instances of SOC usually display bursty, nonlinear and rapid (for the system) diffusion. This seems to be true for ice sheets and glaciers. We are taking that as inspiration to build a simple cellular automaton-type model to describe ice flow. An important question, though, is: ''How far can SOC and complex systems analysis be applied to ice systems?'' Wait and see. | A common approximation used to model ice flow is the diffusion equation. When a term is introduced to model ice sliding (for glacier surges and ice streams), the equation looks suspiciously like one that can describe systems exhibiting self-organized criticality (SOC). The types of systems that are suspected of being instances of SOC usually display bursty, nonlinear and rapid (for the system) diffusion. This seems to be true for ice sheets and glaciers. We are taking that as inspiration to build a simple cellular automaton-type model to describe ice flow. An important question, though, is: ''How far can SOC and complex systems analysis be applied to ice systems?'' Wait and see. | ||
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Latest revision as of 15:34, 25 May 2006
Among the links that we are exploring is one involving separation of time scales. In short, traditional glacier theory and current models cannot reconcile the fast dynamics seen over very short time scales that are observed in, for instance, the ice sheets of Antarctica. Regions of relatively fast flow, called ice streams, exist within the ice sheets. In the past two hundred years some ice streams have switched on while others have completely switched off. The causes of the rapid switching are still mysteries.
A common approximation used to model ice flow is the diffusion equation. When a term is introduced to model ice sliding (for glacier surges and ice streams), the equation looks suspiciously like one that can describe systems exhibiting self-organized criticality (SOC). The types of systems that are suspected of being instances of SOC usually display bursty, nonlinear and rapid (for the system) diffusion. This seems to be true for ice sheets and glaciers. We are taking that as inspiration to build a simple cellular automaton-type model to describe ice flow. An important question, though, is: How far can SOC and complex systems analysis be applied to ice systems? Wait and see.
Back to my first page.