Rights statement: ©2015. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved.
Final published version, 576 KB, PDF document
Available under license: Unspecified
Final published version
Licence: Unspecified
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Ice-melt rates by steam condensation during explosive subglacial eruptions
AU - Woodcock, Duncan Charles
AU - Gilbert, Jennifer Susan
AU - Lane, Stephen John
N1 - ©2015. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved.
PY - 2015/2/11
Y1 - 2015/2/11
N2 - Subglacial volcanism melts cavities in the overlying ice. These cavities may be flooded with meltwater or they may be fully or partially drained. We quantify, for the first time, heat transfer rates by condensation of steam on the walls and roof of a fully or partially drained subglacial eruption cavity. Our calculations indicate that heat fluxes of up to 1 MW m−2 may be obtained when the bulk vapor in the cavity is in free convection. This is considerably smaller than heat fluxes inferred from ice penetration rates in recent subglacial eruptions. Forcing of the convection by momentum transfer from an eruption jet may allow heat fluxes of up to 2 MW m−2, consistent with values inferred for the Gjálp 1996 subglacial eruption. Vapor-dominated cavities in which vapor-liquid equilibrium is maintained have thermal dynamic responses that are an order of magnitude faster than the equivalent flooded cavities.
AB - Subglacial volcanism melts cavities in the overlying ice. These cavities may be flooded with meltwater or they may be fully or partially drained. We quantify, for the first time, heat transfer rates by condensation of steam on the walls and roof of a fully or partially drained subglacial eruption cavity. Our calculations indicate that heat fluxes of up to 1 MW m−2 may be obtained when the bulk vapor in the cavity is in free convection. This is considerably smaller than heat fluxes inferred from ice penetration rates in recent subglacial eruptions. Forcing of the convection by momentum transfer from an eruption jet may allow heat fluxes of up to 2 MW m−2, consistent with values inferred for the Gjálp 1996 subglacial eruption. Vapor-dominated cavities in which vapor-liquid equilibrium is maintained have thermal dynamic responses that are an order of magnitude faster than the equivalent flooded cavities.
U2 - 10.1002/2014JB011619
DO - 10.1002/2014JB011619
M3 - Journal article
VL - 120
SP - 864
EP - 878
JO - Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth
JF - Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth
SN - 2169-9356
IS - 2
ER -