Friday, 31 August 2007
5.PS-137
Modelling the ice flow through an analogical and a numerical approach
Antonio Zeoli1, Giacomo Corti2, Alberto Deponti3, and Luigi Folco1. (1) Museo Nazionale Antartide, via Laterino 8, Siena, Italy, (2) CNR-Istituto di Geoscienze e Georisorse, Firenze, Italy, (3) Dipartimento di Scienze dell'Ambiente e del Territorio, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, Milano, Italy
One of the main goals of present glaciological studies is the investigation of ice flow in the presence of bedrock obstacles using numerical and analogue modelling. Analogue modelling aims to analyse geological or geomorphological processes through physical models built in the laboratory at a reduced geometrical scale and deformed at reasonable scales of time, whereas numerical modelling aims to describe ice flow through physical equations discretized by means of numerical techniques and solved with calculators. The comparison between physical and numerical modelling can improve knowledge of the investigated phenomena. Numerical investigation can provide information about the optimal experimental design, whereas physical modelling can be used to check numerical results. We here present the results of the application of the two modelling techniques to theoretical domains. In particular, attention is focused on flow over bedrock disturbances such as submerged obstacles.