Brief communication: Nye was right!

Abstract. Despite decades of study, predicting crevasses penetration depths remains controversial. Nye provided one of the earliest estimates of crevasse penetration depths. Recently, a new theory, called the horizontal force balance (HFB), challenges Nye's model, suggesting crevasses can penetrate much deeper than predicted by Nye. Here we use a numerical model to show that Nye's estimate remains accurate so long as crevasses are closely spaced, but crevasses penetrate deeper as the spacing increases. Moreover, contrary to many parameterizations of crevasses as damage in depth-integrated models, we find that crevasses do not increase the stress in the intact portion of the ice.