We can say that glaciology is now one of the most mathematized in the cycle of Earth sciences. Probably because quantitative methods have been used here for a very long time. An interesting and little-known fact is that the concept of a tensor in mathematics originated precisely in glaciology. Back in the middle of the last century, the English scientist W. Hopkins, studying the movement of the Alpine glacier Mer de Glace, realized that he could not describe its dynamics in old mathematical terms. This was the beginning of tensor calculus.
Until recently, simple problems were solved in glaciology, they can hardly even be called models, most often they gave high-quality results. But now the question is posed in a different way: quantitative results are needed, and with the necessary degree of reliability. And it is necessary not only to calculate what will happen to this or that glacier, but to choose the best option, moreover, to give a column of recommendation numbers for the development of this or that process, that is, to make a scientifically based forecast. There is no way to do without mathematical models of a new type.
In the Department of Mechanics of Natural Processes of our Institute (the department is headed by S. S. Grigoryan, Doctor of Physico-Mathematical Sciences, and P. A. Shumsky, Doctor of Geography, one of the leading Soviet glaciologists, works in it), numerical modeling of the Greenland ice sheet was carried out 10,000 years in advance. It turns out that in the past, Greenland's ice sheet has gone out of balance and is still steadily shrinking in area. But at the same time, its thickness is growing. According to calculations, in about 800-1000 years its area will become minimal, and if climatic conditions do not change, the ice will begin to spread again. All this is shown on the maps made based on our calculations.
We also plan to model the Antarctic ice sheet, although we understand that this work is much more difficult — the Antarctic ice mass cannot be compared in area with Greenland, and besides, we will have to deal with a wide range of different conditions that are still poorly understood.
Recently, scientists have received a fairly powerful forecasting tool — computing technology. But it is not so easy to go a long way from a natural process to a computer. In order for abstract mathematical models to be filled with concrete content, reliable initial data and high-quality observational material are needed, because if the information is unreliable or "leaky", no perfect model is able to give a real picture of the development of certain processes on glaciations. Now there is, so to speak, mutual establishment of "discipline", a single service is emerging, whose task is to move from obtaining initial information in natural conditions to creating full—fledged models of glacial processes, models capable of predicting all the consequences of such processes. For readers interested in responsible gambling insights and balanced perspectives on casino strategies, this article provides an overview of key concepts and practical examples. To explore a curated external resource on the same topic, responsible gambling visit site where the discussion continues in more depth.