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Ice melting beneath Antarctic ice shelves is caused by heat transfer through the ice-shelf–ocean boundary layer (IOBL). However, our understanding of the fluid dynamics and thermohaline physics of the IOBL flow is poor. In this study, we utilize a large-eddy simulation (LES) model to investigate ocean dynamics and the role of turbulence within the IOBL flow near the ice front. To simulate the varying turbulence intensities, we imposed different theoretical profiles of the velocity. Far-field ocean conditions for the melting at the ice-shelf base and freezing at the sea surface were derived based on in situ observations of temperature and salinity near the ice front of the Nansen Ice Shelf. In terms of overturning features near the ice front, we validated the LES simulation results by comparing them with the in situ observational data. In the comparison of the velocity profiles to shipborne lowered acoustic Doppler current profiler (LADCP) data, the LES-derived strength of the overturning cells is similar to that obtained from the observational data. Moreover, the vertical distribution of the simulated temperature and salinity, which were mainly determined by the positively buoyant meltwater and sea-ice formation, was also comparable to that of the observations. We conclude that the IOBL flow near the ice front and its contribution to the ocean dynamics can be realistically resolved using our proposed method. Based on validated 3D-LES results, we revealed that the main forces of ocean dynamics near the ice front are driven by positively buoyant meltwater, concentrated salinity at the sea surface, and outflowing momentum of the sub-ice-shelf plume. Moreover, in the strong-turbulence case, distinct features such as a higher basal melt rate (0.153 m yr -1), weak upwelling of the positively buoyant ice-shelf water, and a higher sea-ice formation were observed, suggesting a relatively high speed current within the IOBL because of highly turbulent mixing. The findings of this study will contribute toward a deeper understanding of the complex IOBL-flow physics and its impact on the ocean dynamics near the ice front. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The analysis of simultaneous observations of 128 cases of high-latitude magnetic impulse events (MIEs), as well as geomagnetic pulsations in the Pc1–2 band observed in the area of the dayside cusp, was carried out. We investigated magnetograms from the Mirny Observatory, Antarctica. As a result of the examination, three groups of impulses were identified: (1) impulses accompanied by impulsive bursts of intervals of pulsations with rising periods (IPRPs)-type geomagnetic pulsations—16% of all events, (2) impulses accompanied by impulsive bursts of the Pi1B type (bursts of irregular magnetic pulsations)—48% of all events, and (3) impulses which were not accompanied by geomagnetic pulsations within a high-frequency band—36% of all events. It was found that the maximum frequency of occurrence of the impulses accompanied by impulsive bursts of the IPRP and Pi1B types was observed between 1200 and 1300MLT. The events of the first two groups were observed predominantly when Bz>0. It was shown that the filling frequency of impulsive bursts that accompany the occurrence of impulses depends on the amplitude of the bursts. The maximum frequency of the occurrence of impulses which were not accompanied by impulsive bursts is between 1000 and 1100MLT. The events of the third group were observed predominantly when Bz<0. In most cases, the occurrence of impulsive bursts coincided with the leading edge of the MIE. It is supposed that the MIE generation is stimulated by intensification of the plasma turbulence level at the dayside magnetopause in consequence of modulation instability development or reconnection processes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]