CPOM leads UK development of the BISICLES ice sheet model. BISICLES is a state-of-the-art high-performance parallel ice sheet model that employs our own adaptive mesh techniques and data assimilation methods to simulate continental ice sheets. The model runs on a range of computing platforms and is unique in its ability to deliver sub-kilometre resolution at continental scales over millennia, making it highly successful in simulating grounding-line migration.
As part of our commitment to develop and test BISICLES, we have incorporated advanced ice physics and marine melting processes, allowing it to be used over millennial time scales, and we have used our own satellite observations to evaluate the model performance.
We also develop and support its use by the wider scientific community, for example its integration into the UK Earth System Model (UKESM) as well as its application by users in the UK and internationally. BISICLES simulations have been included in each of the major model inter-comparison projects which inform IPCC assessments, and have been used in a wide range of individual studies.
You can read more about our approach to ice sheet modelling and why we are modelling the Amundsen Sea Embayment on our blog.