Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 7, 2026

Investigating the Relationship between Sea Surface Chlorophyll and Major Features of the South China Sea with Satellite Information
Published on: June 13, 2020
Determining the contribution of Antarctica to sea-level rise using data assimilation methods
Robert J Arthern1, Richard C A Hindmarsh
1British Antarctic Survey, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0ET, UK. rart@bas.ac.uk
Abstract:
The problem of forecasting the future behaviour of the Antarctic ice sheet is considered. We describe a method for optimizing this forecast by combining a model of ice sheet flow with observations. Under certain assumptions, a linearized model of glacial flow can be combined with observations of the thickness change, snow accumulation, and ice-flow, to forecast the Antarctic contribution to sea-level rise. Numerical simulations show that this approach can potentially be used to test whether changes observed in Antarctica are consistent with the natural forcing of a stable ice sheet by snowfall fluctuations. To make predictions under less restrictive assumptions, improvements in models of ice flow are needed. Some of the challenges that this prediction problem poses are highlighted, and potentially useful approaches drawn from numerical weather prediction are discussed.
Related Concept Videos
Global Climate Change
Application of Linearization and Approximation
Introduction and Methods of Leveling
Microbes and Climate Change

