PISM: Parallel Ice Sheet Model

A panoramic banner for the Parallel Ice Sheet Model (PISM). On the left, the "PISM" logo and full name appear in teal text above a "Get it on GitHub" button. The background features a striking, jagged blue glacier in the foreground set against a snowy mountain range and a cloudy sky. Two complex mathematical equations are superimposed over the sky: The top equation is a partial differential equation representing momentum balance in ice flow: ∂x∂​[νˉH(∂y∂vx​​+∂x∂vy​​)]+∂y∂​[2νˉH(∂x∂vx​​+2∂y∂vy​​)]+τby​​=ρi​gH∂y∂h​ The bottom equation represents the conservation of energy (temperature): ρi​ci​(∂t​T+vμ​∂μ​T)=ki​∂zz2​T+Σ

What is PISM?

Parallel Ice Sheet Model (PISM) is a climate science simulation focusing on ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica. Development of PISM is supported by NSF Grant OAC-2118285 (iHARP).

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Related Publications and Research

Below highlights publications that have used PISM and included acknowledgement or funding acknowledgement. Please note these publications are not apart of iHARP’s core research projects.

2025

  • Moritz Kreuzer, Torsten Albrecht, Lena Nicola, Ronja Reese, and Ricarda Winkelmann. Bathymetry-constrained impact of relative sea-level change on basal melting in Antarctica. The Cryosphere, 19(3):1181–1203, March 2025. doi:10.5194/tc-19-1181-2025.
  • Ward van Pelt and Thomas Frank. New glacier thickness and bed topography maps for Svalbard. The Cryosphere, 19(1):1–17, January 2025. doi:10.5194/tc-19-1-2025.
  • Eric W. Wolff, Robert Mulvaney, Mackenzie M. Grieman, Helene M. Hoffmann, Jack Humby, Christoph Nehrbass-Ahles, Rachael H. Rhodes, Isobel F. Rowell, Louise C. Sime, Hubertus Fischer, Thomas F. Stocker, Amaelle Landais, Frédéric Parrenin, Eric J. Steig, Marina Dütsch, and Nicholas R. Golledge. The Ronne Ice Shelf survived the last interglacial. Nature, January 2025. doi:10.1038/s41586-024-08394-w.
2024
  • Torsten Albrecht, Meike Bagge, and Volker Klemann. Feedback mechanisms controlling Antarctic glacial-cycle dynamics simulated with a coupled ice sheet–solid Earth model. The Cryosphere, 18(9):4233–4255, September 2024. doi:10.5194/tc-18-4233-2024.
  • N. Bochow, A. Poltronieri, and N. Boers. Projections of precipitation and temperatures in Greenland and the impact of spatially uniform anomalies on the evolution of the ice sheet. The Cryosphere, 18:5825–5863, 2024. doi:10.5194/tc-18-5825-2024.
  • J. Feldmann, A. Levermann, and R. Winkelmann. Hysteresis of idealized, instability-prone outlet glaciers in response to pinning-point buttressing variation. The Cryosphere, 18(9):4011–4028, 2024. URL: https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/18/4011/2024/, doi:10.5194/tc-18-4011-2024.
  • M. A. Sarıkaya, A. Candaş, İ. Ege, and K. M. Wilcken. Geochronology and ice-flow modelling of the Late Quaternary glaciers on Mt. Soğanlı, Türkiye. Journal of Quaternary Science, 2024. doi:10.1002/jqs.3660.
  • Hélène Seroussi, Tyler Pelle, William H. Lipscomb, Ayako Abe‐Ouchi, Torsten Albrecht, Jorge Alvarez‐Solas, Xylar Asay‐Davis, Jean‐Baptiste Barre, Constantijn J. Berends, Jorge Bernales, Javier Blasco, Justine Caillet, David M. Chandler, Violaine Coulon, Richard Cullather, Christophe Dumas, Benjamin K. Galton‐Fenzi, Julius Garbe, Fabien Gillet‐Chaulet, Rupert Gladstone, Heiko Goelzer, Nicholas Golledge, Ralf Greve, G. Hilmar Gudmundsson, Holly Kyeore Han, Trevor R. Hillebrand, Matthew J. Hoffman, Philippe Huybrechts, Nicolas C. Jourdain, Ann Kristin Klose, Petra M. Langebroek, Gunter R. Leguy, Daniel P. Lowry, Pierre Mathiot, Marisa Montoya, Mathieu Morlighem, Sophie Nowicki, Frank Pattyn, Antony J. Payne, Aurélien Quiquet, Ronja Reese, Alexander Robinson, Leopekka Saraste, Erika G. Simon, Sainan Sun, Jake P. Twarog, Luke D. Trusel, Benoit Urruty, Jonas Van Breedam, Roderik S. W. van de Wal, Yu Wang, Chen Zhao, and Thomas Zwinger. Evolution of the Antarctic Ice Sheet over the next three centuries from an ISMIP6 model ensemble. Earth’s Future, September 2024. doi:10.1029/2024ef004561.
  • Attila Çiner, Marc Oliva, Josep Ventura, M. Akif Sarıkaya, Adem Candaş, David Palacios, Onur Altınay, Steven A. Binnie, and Natalia Castaneda. Late Pleistocene glacial chronology and paleoclimate of the Cadí Massif, SE Pyrenees, Spain: Insights from 36Cl cosmogenic surface exposure dating and glacier modelling. Quaternary Science Reviews, 345:109020, 2024. doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2024.109020.
2023
  • J. Beckmann and R. Winkelmann. Effects of extreme melt events on ice flow and sea level rise of the Greenland Ice Sheet. The Cryosphere, 17(7):3083–3099, 2023. doi:10.5194/tc-17-3083-2023.
  • T. Frank, W. J. J. van Pelt, and J. Kohler. Reconciling ice dynamics and bed topography with a versatile and fast ice thickness inversion. The Cryosphere, 17(9):4021–4045, 2023. doi:10.5194/tc-17-4021-2023.
  • Julius Garbe, Maria Zeitz, Uta Krebs-Kanzow, and Ricarda Winkelmann. The evolution of future Antarctic surface melt using PISM-dEBM-simple. The Cryosphere, 17(11):4571–4599, nov 2023. doi:10.5194/tc-17-4571-2023.
  • A. Johnson, A. Aschwanden, T. Albrecht, and R. Hock. Range of 21st century ice mass changes in the Filchner-Ronne region of Antarctica. Journal of Glaciology, 2023. doi:10.1017/jog.2023.10.
  • R. Reese, J. Garbe, E. A. Hill, B. Urruty, K. A. Naughten, O. Gagliardini, G. Durand, F. Gillet-Chaulet, G. H. Gudmundsson, D. Chandler, P. M. Langebroek, and R. Winkelmann. The stability of present-day Antarctic grounding lines – Part 2: Onset of irreversible retreat of Amundsen Sea glaciers under current climate on centennial timescales cannot be excluded. The Cryosphere, 17(9):3761–3783, 2023. doi:10.5194/tc-17-3761-2023.