The role of sediment transport in the mechanics of jökulhlaups

A. C. Fowler, F. S.L. Ng

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The classical theory of jökulhlaups used Röthlisberger's earlier theory of ice-channel drainage to describe the development of the flood Hydrograph. This theory has some drawbacks: the mechanism of initiation (breaking the seal) is opaque, the Manning roughness coefficient is too large and the hydrographs can reveal a sudden switching from channel opening to channel closure which is not simulated by the model. In this paper, we examine these features by exploring a more detailed model, which takes into account the physics of sediment erosion and its effect on channel morphology. We propose a theory in which channels need not be semicircular, but have shapes determined by a local balance between closure and melting, and in which erosion of the tunnel margins is taken into account; in particular, we derive theoretical predictions for sediment discharge, and we also propose a mechanism whereby the pressure seal over the caldera rim at Grímsvötn in Vatnajökull, Iceland, can be broken when the lake-level water pressure is still some 6 bar below the maximum overburden ice pressure.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)255-259
Number of pages5
JournalAnnals of Glaciology
Volume22
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1996
Externally publishedYes

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