On icy satellites, the boundary between shelf ice and subsurface ocean has been considered in static contexts, but many moons possess ice shells with periodic libration and possible non synchronous rotation that suggest a state of non-negligible relative motion. This librational motion would induce shear in the boundary layer, analogous to the wind-driven bondary layer in Earth ocean. Linear theory predicts the formation of critical layers in which this shear may dissipate internal waves as they propagate upward to the ice shell. Furthermore, the boundary shear may excite turbulence, which in turn enhances dissipation. Proper treatment of the ice-ocean interface as a dynamic boundary on icy satellites may be necessary in global simulations of internal waves.
Back to Long Programs
Copyright. All Rights Reserved.