Florent Gimbert

Understanding the processes that govern the flow of glaciers is vital for predicting their response to climate change. The faster a glacier flows, the greater the amount of ice transported downstream, where it either melts or is lost to the ocean. A major unknown is the sliding of glaciers on their underlying bedrock, and in particular the presence of water at this interface, which modifies the friction properties.
In this seminar, I will first present some fairly generic aspects of glacier flow. Secondly, I will present recent works we have done on the physics of glacial basal friction, and in particular the role of hydrology. Thirdly, I will attempt to explain how percolation/phase transition analyses could be relevant to a better understanding of the phenomena involved.