Ice Dynamics (ICE)

Ice Dynamics (ICE)
Capsized blue iceberg in Weddell Sea, Antarctica, with resting Adélie penguins. Copyright Torsten Albrecht (PIK)

About the working group

With more than 65 meters of sea-level potential, the ice-sheets on Greenland and Antarctica are the largest freshwater reservoirs on Earth. They have undergone extensive retreat and re-advance in their glacial-interglacial history, and with progressing anthropogenic climate change, they are now among the most vulnerable parts of the Earth System. In the Ice Dynamics Group at PIK, we study the dynamics of ice sheets and shelves, and their interactions with the atmosphere and ocean. We are core developers of the Parallel Ice Sheet Model (PISM) and the Potsdam Ice-Shelf Cavity Model (PICO). Based on our insights into the dynamics of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets and related feedback mechanisms, we investigate their long-term stability as well as their contributions to global sea-level change in the future.

Working Group Leader:

Prof. Dr. Ricarda Winkelmann

 

Related Projects

Projects and Funding

Key research objectives

  • Comprehensive understanding of key processes including sub-shelf melting, surface mass balance changes, iceberg calving, ice-shelf buttressing
  • Further development of the Parallel Ice Sheet Model (PISM) and the Ice Shelf Cavity Model (PICO)
  • Configuration and coupling of PISM within the Potsdam Earth Model POEM
  • Reconstruction / modelling of the glacial-interglacial history of the Antarctic Ice Sheet
  • Projections of future sea-level contributions from Greenland and Antarctica
  • Role of extreme events for the ice-sheet mass balance
  • Assessment of the long-term stability, critical thresholds and tipping dynamics of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets
ice-group-mosaic-2022

Team

News

Juneau Icefield Research Program
Juneau Icefield Research Program
Read more
EGU 2024 in Vienna
EGU 2024 in Vienna
Read more
Successful and productive TiPMiP Seminar
Successful and productive TiPMiP Seminar
Read more
Ice sheet model PISM proposed for natESM
Ice sheet model PISM proposed for natESM
Read more
Heraeus Seminar 2023
Heraeus Seminar 2023
Read more
Development of Parallel Ice Sheet Model (PISM) reaches milestone
Development of Parallel Ice Sheet Model (PISM) reaches milestone
Read more
IUGG 2023 conference in Berlin
IUGG 2023 conference in Berlin
Read more
GIA training school 2023 in Gävle, Sweden
GIA training school 2023 in Gävle, Sweden
Read more
FRISP 2023 in Stalheim, Norway
FRISP 2023 in Stalheim, Norway
Read more
EGU 2023 in Vienna
EGU 2023 in Vienna
Read more
Karthaus Summer School 2023
Karthaus Summer School 2023
Read more
2023/02/06: Maths on Ice Forum - Tipping Points
2023/02/06: Maths on Ice Forum - Tipping Points
Read more
2022/12/20: Outreach paper on research funding for polar ECR
2022/12/20: Outreach paper on research funding for polar ECR
Read more
2022/10/3-7: PROTECT Fall Meeting 2022
2022/10/3-7: PROTECT Fall Meeting 2022
Read more
2022/10/24-25 PISM meeting at GEUS in Copenhagen, Denmark
2022/10/24-25 PISM meeting at GEUS in Copenhagen, Denmark
Read more
2022/09/11-13 DFG - SPP1158 Coordination Workshop
2022/09/11-13 DFG - SPP1158 Coordination Workshop
Read more
2021/12/13-17 Contributions at AGU fall meeting 2021
2021/12/13-17 Contributions at AGU fall meeting 2021
Read more
2021/12/06 Maths on Ice
2021/12/06 Maths on Ice
Read more
2021/12/03 PISM2.0 released
2021/12/03 PISM2.0 released
Read more
2022/01/25-Tipping Elements Discussion Series - Ice Sheets
2022/01/25-Tipping Elements Discussion Series - Ice Sheets
Read more
2021/09/20 Tipping Elements, Irreversibility and Abrupt Change in the Earth System
2021/09/20 Tipping Elements, Irreversibility and Abrupt Change in the Earth System
Read more
2021/09/11: What is it like to work as a climate scientist?
2021/09/11: What is it like to work as a climate scientist?
Read more
2021/08/15-18: WE-Heraeus-Seminar on "Interacting Tipping Elements in the Natural and Social Components of the Earth System" (InTENSE)
2021/08/15-18: WE-Heraeus-Seminar on "Interacting Tipping Elements in the Natural and Social Components of the Earth System" (InTENSE)
Read more
2021/05: PalMod Antarctic Focus Group Kick-Off
2021/05: PalMod Antarctic Focus Group Kick-Off
Read more
2021/06: Earth Commission General Assembly
2021/06: Earth Commission General Assembly
Read more
2021/06: TiPACCs Annual Meeting 2021
2021/06: TiPACCs Annual Meeting 2021
Read more
2021/08: Sixth assessment report of IPCC, WG1 released
2021/08: Sixth assessment report of IPCC, WG1 released
Read more
2021/08: 10.3 million euros for PIK's new high-performance cluster
2021/08: 10.3 million euros for PIK's new high-performance cluster
Read more
2021/06/04: Documentary "Breaking boundaries: The science of our planet" released
2021/06/04: Documentary "Breaking boundaries: The science of our planet" released
Read more
2021/05/04-05: Two new studies projecting future sea-level contributions from Greenland and Antarctica
2021/05/04-05: Two new studies projecting future sea-level contributions from Greenland and Antarctica
Read more