New model more accurately predicts how massive glaciers melt Statistical models of the topography of glacier beds will lead to more accurate predictions of heat flow and subsequent ice melt for decades to come By Lisa Ercolano / Published Feb 23, 2021 New research by a team that included a Johns Hopkins engineer promises to enable more accurate ice-flow predictions, helping scientists better forecast how melting glaciers will contribute to rising sea levels, which have been linked to coastal and wetland flooding and destructive erosion around the world. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, Harihar Rajaram and the team offer a new method of estimating how heat flows upwards from the Earth to beds of ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica, affecting their viscosity and rates of movement.