These different dependencies of the deep and shallow melting on forcing variations suggests the classification of two separate states of melting at the FIS: (i) a state of shallow melting for stronger winds, in which the melting is controlled

by small melt rate changes beneath large areas of shallow ice; and (ii) a state of deep melting for weaker winds, in which the overall basal mass loss is dominated by very high melt rates at small areas of deep ice. The transition between these two states of melting appears to be controlled by the combined effect of wind and hydrographic conditions. We now continue by analyzing the oceanic response to forcing variations in our learn more model. In order to explain the effect of climatic forcing on basal melting, we investigate the oceanic changes in the different experiments, click here with the main mechanisms controlling

the respective contribution of the deep and shallow melting depicted in Fig. 10. The deep ocean heat transport towards the ice is primarily controlled by the depth of the ASF thermocline relative to the continental shelf break. Comparing the time-averaged near-shore thermocline depth in Fig. 9(c) to the deep melting contribution in Fig. 9(a) shows that a transition towards the state of deep melting occurs when the WDW rises above the depth of the main sill (horizontal line) for weaker wind forcing. Similarly a consistent response of the deep ocean 4-Aminobutyrate aminotransferase heat transport is indicated by the simulated time series of the M1 temperature profiles in Fig. 5(c)–(e), and

the modeled θθ–S histograms in Fig. 6, which in the ANN-30 experiment show unmodified WDW inside the cavity. While stronger wind forcing deepens the ESW layer near the coast, Fig. 9(c) shows that the presence of ASW in summer generally leads to a shallower thermocline position, promoting the transition into the state of deep melting for stronger winds. The apparent uplift of the thermocline for a more buoyant upper water column suggests a positive feedback (P6 in Fig. 10), in which glacial melt water release may increase the deep ocean heat transport by freshening the upper water column, leading to further melting. This model behavior agrees with the idea that the ASF is controlled by the balance between the wind-driven Ekman overturning and the counteracting eddy fluxes (Nøst et al., 2011). In this theory, stronger easterly winds deepen the thermocline due to increased coastal downwelling—indicated by the arrow denoted P1 in Fig. 10—while larger horizontal density gradients associated with the buoyant ASW are expected to lift up the thermocline (P2 in Fig. 10) by increasing the baroclinicity of the front and enhancing the eddy activity. However, some aspects of the deep melting response remain unexplained, such as the timing of the warm inflow at depth in the ANN-100 experiment.