Flow Patterns in Glacier Ice

Abstract

The mass of ice varies along the length of a glacier because of the accumulation of snow in its upper regions and the ablation of ice in the lower regions. This mass change brings about variable speeds of flow and complex streamlines. General equations are derived using a type of plug flow for ice for the following: (1) glaciers of constant arbitrarily shaped cross sections, arbitrary rates of ablation and accumulation, and arbitrary variations of the longitudinal velocity across the glacier; and (2) glaciers of rectangular cross section with varying widths and depths, arbitrary velocity profiles, and arbitrary rates of ablation and accumulation. Streamlines are calculated for five typical cases by using these general equations. The calculated flow behavior is in agreement with the known behavior of glaciers.