Meltwater-plume dynamics under an evolving ice shelf

Recent observations and models suggest that melting at the base of floating ice shelves can significantly impact ice sheet flow, with consequences for sea level rise. As a simplified analogue of ice-shelf basal melting, I consider a theoretical model of the melting of a two-dimensional stationary ice-shelf above a warmer glacial ocean. Melting rates are controlled by a turbulent buoyancy-driven plume of meltwater that is coupled to an ice-water free boundary that evolves as a result of melting. The evolving slope of the ice-shelf base provides a feedback on flow and heat transfer in the meltwater plume, with potential consequences for the stability of ice shelves and other systems featuring a coupling of melting and buoyancy-driven flow.