Courant Researchers Study Capsizing Icebergs
Researchers at NYU's Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences have found that icebergs capsize due to the unstable shapes they melt into, shedding light on the fluid dynamics behind global warming's impact on major bodies of water.
A recent article published by the team describes their mathematical modeling of the hydrodynamics behind icebergs capsizing. The researchers discovered that when ice floats in water, the submerged portion melts faster than the top half due to water pressure and buoyancy, resulting in unusual shapes and capsizing.
“All we do is put a piece of ice in the tank and by itself, and it starts capsizing,”
said Alison Kim, a contributing researcher and fourth-year Ph.D. The team created ice blocks in cylindrical shapes and placed them in room temperature water to study this phenomenon.
The capsizing of icebergs can have catastrophic consequences, including the potential to cause tsunamis and break up other icebergs.
Author's summary: Researchers model capsizing icebergs to understand global warming's effects.
- Icebergs capsize due to unstable shapes formed during melting
- Fluid dynamics play a crucial role in the capsizing process
- Researchers used mathematical modeling and experiments to study the phenomenon