On the flow of polythermal glaciers - I. Model and preliminary analysis

Abstract

Many interesting phenomena have been observed in the flow of glacial ice masses. In order to establish a rational theory for the study of these phenomena, we develop here a detailed continuum model for the flow of polythermal (i.e. partially cold and partially temperate) glaciers in wide mountain valleys. As a first step in the analysis of the nonlinear double free boundary problem posed by this model, the structure and stability of solutions are studied in a particular very simple limiting situation. Further analysis is deferred to part II of the paper.