Vulnerability of Antarctica’s ice shelves to meltwater-driven fracture

Abstract: This data set contains the results presented in Lai et al. (2020), including; the 125m-resolution fracture map, the spatial distribution of fracture depths and the required initial flaw size for hydrofracture, which is calculated using linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM) according to the ice-shelf stress fields and thickness. The dimensionless stress (Rxx_bar, defined in Lai et al. (2020)) governs how fractures behave. Using a dimensionless stress criteria we have determined which ice-shelf areas are vulnerable to hydrofracture if inundated with melt water (Rxx_bar >Rxx*_bar).