Abstract: In the context of global climate change, ice shelf systems have become critically important for accessing ice sheet stability. Conventionally, measurement-based approaches are limited in addressing ice sheet motion and evolution. Ice sheet modeling provides a valuable and effective tool to study the dynamics and evolution of ice shelves. The Lambert-Amery ice shelf system, the largest glacier system in East Antarctica, and a vital part in researching the mass balance and stability of East Antarctica Ice Sheet, is studied with the PISM ice sheet model. We simulate the surface ice velocity field of this glacier system and compare the model result with actual measurement by remote sensing. The comparison indicates that the model performs well in predicting the velocity field across the Amery Ice Shelf. We further discuss the prospect of applying ice sheet model in research on the evolution of ice sheets and ice caps.

Key words: Amery Ice Shelf, finite difference model, PISM, velocity field analysis