Subsurface Ocean Ice Shell Thickness Gravity-Tidal Estimate Calculator
Steady planar conductive ice thickness with constant conductivity and independently established gravity/pressure-adjusted melt temperature and heat flux; no pressure/tidal source solver.
Description
Subsurface Ocean Ice Shell Thickness Gravity-Tidal Estimate Calculator: return conductive thickness meters.
A conductive ice-shell estimate balances a temperature difference against heat flowing through the shell. The chosen conductivity is treated as constant.
This tool returns conductive thickness meters. Use the stated units and model convention when interpreting these fields.
When to use this tool
Use this tool when the supplied inputs match the specific operation described above and you need a repeatable result under its stated convention.
- Check the supported input and output contract against an existing calculation or observation.
- Use the complete example to confirm units, selector spelling and result interpretation.
How to use the tool and how it works
- Enter every field in the input table using the stated units and the exact supported selector spelling where applicable.
- Run the tool. Correct input errors before interpreting an output.
- Read the result fields below; use accompanying flags and the stated sign, boundary or model convention when interpreting a number.
Multiply conductivity by melt temperature minus surface temperature, then divide by radiogenic plus tidal heat flux.1
| Input field | Meaning and units | Accepted input |
|---|---|---|
| surfaceTemperatureK | Surface temperature k. Kelvin. | Finite number; greater than zero |
| pressureAdjustedMeltK | Pressure adjusted melt k. Kelvin. | Finite number; greater than zero |
| iceConductivityWPerMK | Ice conductivity w per m k. Kelvin. | Finite number; greater than zero |
| radiogenicFluxWPerM2 | Radiogenic flux w per m2. Square meters. | Finite number; greater than zero; zero or greater |
| tidalFluxWPerM2 | Tidal flux w per m2. Square meters. | Finite number; zero or greater |
| Output field | Interpretation |
|---|---|
| result | Object containing the following named result fields. |
| result.conductiveThicknessMeters | Conductive thickness meters; use the stated units and sign convention. |
{
"input": {
"surfaceTemperatureK": 100,
"pressureAdjustedMeltK": 200,
"iceConductivityWPerMK": 2,
"radiogenicFluxWPerM2": 0.1,
"tidalFluxWPerM2": 0.1
},
"output": {
"result": {
"conductiveThicknessMeters": 1000
}
}
}Limitations and assumptions
- A positive temperature contrast and positive total flux are required. Convection, geometry, salinity and temperature-dependent conductivity are not modeled.
- Every declared field is required and unexpected fields are rejected. Numeric inputs must be finite; input errors are distinct from a valid false result or an explicitly qualified output.
- Extremely large inputs and nonfinite or excessively large outputs are rejected. List positions reported by the tool use zero-based indices unless stated otherwise.
Alternative or Complementary methods
Check the underlying observations, units and conventions independently before using the result in a larger workflow. The tools listed below address nearby tasks; compare their inputs and scope before substituting one for this operation.
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