SIMULATING ICEBERG CALVING WITH A PERCOLATION MODEL

The physics behind the iceberg calving process is poorly understood, b ut by using a simple fracturing criterion based on the accumulation an d coupling of many microcracks, the complicated mechanics of calving c an be simulated by a set of percolation rules. Calving simulations wit h this simple percolation model give results which are consistent with limited observations of iceberg size distributions and terminus morph ologies. For steady state scenarios, the model suggests that the calvi ng process can be characterized by a small set of scaling exponents.