Paper detail

Dynamically coupling the non-linear Stokes equations with the Shallow Ice Approximation in glaciology: Description and first applications of the ISCAL method

We propose and implement a new method, called the Ice Sheet Coupled Approximation Levels (ISCAL) method, for simulation of ice sheet flow in large domains under long time-intervals. The method couples the exact, full Stokes (FS) equations with the Shallow Ice Approximation (SIA). The part of the domain where SIA is applied is determined automatically and dynamically based on estimates of the modeling error. For a three dimensional model problem where the number of degrees of freedom is comparable to a real world application, ISCAL performs almost an order of magnitude faster with a low reduction in accuracy compared to a monolithic FS. Furthermore, ISCAL is shown to be able to detect rapid dynamic changes in the flow. Three different error estimations are applied and compared. Finally, ISCAL is applied to the Greenland Ice Sheet, proving ISCAL to be a potential valuable tool for the ice sheet modeling community.