Permalink : http://hdl.handle.net/2115/45447

KEYWORDS : Anisotropic model;Crystal;Fabric;Polycrystal;Ice

The ice single crystal is one of the most anisotropic natural materials and the resulting viscous behaviour of polycrystalline ice can also be strongly anisotropic and is a function of the distribution of the crystal c-axis orientations, i.e. its fabric. Such a strong and strain-dependant anisotropy of the ice polycrystal certainly affects the general flow of polar ice. The aim of this paper is to present an exhaustive overview of most of the glaciological efforts made from more than two decades to account for polar ice anisotropy in ice flow modelling, from the crystal to the ice-sheets scale. We first recall the deformation and recrystallization proccsses occurring within ice-sheets and their respective effect on the polar ice textures. Then, the different models developed to describe the behaviour of the ice crystal and the polycrystal are presented, with a special emphasis on homogenization methods and fabric description. Finally, existing anisotropic ice flow models and their applications are reviewed.