What is the Glacier Mass Balance multi-solver?

Glacier Mass Balance is a guided workflow that chains 2 individual PolySim solvers into one end-to-end analysis, piping each result into the next step.

Yes. Every step runs entirely in your browser using real numerics — no install, no account, no cloud cost. Custom or private solver packs are available as a paid service.

Earth & First Responders Pack · Multi-Solver

Glacier Mass Balance

Melt & retreat. This multi-solver chains 2 solvers into a single guided workflow — run each step in order and carry the result forward.

Workflow steps

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Milankovitch

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Milankovitch CyclesLive

orbital forcing of the ice ages

Controls

Presets

Eccentricity weight

Obliquity weight

Precession weight

Three slow changes in Earth's orbit — the stretch of its ellipse (eccentricity), the tilt of its axis (obliquity), and the wobble of that axis (precession) — combine to modulate summer sunlight at high latitudes. That insolation rhythm paces the glacial-interglacial cycles recorded in ice and ocean cores.

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Data Inspector

Eccentricity~100 kyr

Obliquity~41 kyr

Precession~23 kyr

Insolation forcing

Q = 0.50 e (t) + 1.0 ε (t) + 0.70 p (t)

Reading this result: With obliquity weighted highest, a ~41 kyr beat dominates — the pattern that paced glacial cycles before ~1 million years ago, when axial tilt led the forcing.

Runs locally in your browser — free forever. Scale to the cloud when reality gets heavy.

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Energy Balance

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Planetary Energy BalanceLive

greenhouse effect · equilibrium temperature

Equilibrium surface temperature

13.7°C

286.9 K

Controls

Presets

Solar constant (W/m²)

Albedo (reflectivity)

Effective emissivity

A planet warms until it radiates away exactly the sunlight it absorbs. Balancing absorbed power S(1−α)/4 against εσT⁴ gives the equilibrium temperature. An emissivity below 1 represents greenhouse gases trapping outgoing infrared, raising the surface temperature.

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Data Inspector

Absorbed power238 W/m²

No-greenhouse T-18.6 °C

Greenhouse warming+32.3 °C

Governing equation

\frac{( 1 - 0.3 ) 1361}{4} = 0.62 σ T^{4} \Rightarrow T_{e q} = 286.9 K

Reading this result: Dropping emissivity below 1 mimics greenhouse gases: they add 32 °C on top of the -19 °C bare-rock temperature.

Runs locally in your browser — free forever. Scale to the cloud when reality gets heavy.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the Glacier Mass Balance multi-solver?: Glacier Mass Balance is a guided workflow that chains 2 individual PolySim solvers into one end-to-end analysis, piping each result into the next step.
Is it free to use?: Yes. Every step runs entirely in your browser using real numerics — no install, no account, no cloud cost. Custom or private solver packs are available as a paid service.