Capturing Ice-Ocean Boundary Layer Physics over Dynamically Stable Pycnoclines: The Mechanics of a Parameterisation Framework for Basal Melting

Conventional basal melt parameterisations for ice shelf basal melting typically calculate melt rates as a direct function of ambient ocean properties, effectively bypassing the internal physics of the ice-ocean boundary layer (IOBL). This simplification often leads to significant overestimations of melting, particularly when stable stratification is present.

The core of our framework is a set of parametric equations that computes melt rates after determining the thermal driving within the boundary layer by resolving:

• Heat transfer from the ambient ocean into the boundary layer.
• Heat transfer from the boundary layer to the ice-ocean interface.

By resolving the internal physics of the boundary layer, this framework provides a valuable tool for process studies, allowing for a deeper investigation into how different forcing mechanisms influence basal melting. We will discuss the physics behind this framework and how this framework can be developed in the future by including more physics to improve the representation of ice-ocean interactions in large-scale climate models.