Abstract
Anchor ice describes clusters of ice attached to the beds of rivers, lakes or seas. In Antarctica, ice shelves are considered to be a main driver of anchor ice formation through a process commonly referred to as an 'ice pump'. These pumps melt the base of an ice shelf at depth and produce a buoyancy-driven plume of meltwater that rises along the basal plane, becoming potentially supercooled in the process. Anchor ice growth may be initiated in regions where plumes intersect the local seafloor. A simple process model is proposed to predict these growth sites in coastal Antarctic waters. A comparison with model output and anchor ice observations in McMurdo Sound reveals that model-predicted formation sites are consistent with these observations. Knowledge of ice shelf draft, basal slope and cavity circulation is necessary to extend the model beyond the confines of McMurdo Sound.