Observations of change in the Southern Ocean
The Southern Ocean has been in a state of disequilibrium with its atmosphere and cryosphere during recent decades. Ocean station and drifting float observations have revealed rising temperatures in the upper 3000 m. Salinity has declined in intermediate waters and more rapidly in the sparsely sample...
Published in: | Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences |
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crroyalsociety:10.1098/rsta.2006.1794 2024-06-02T07:58:05+00:00 Observations of change in the Southern Ocean Jacobs, Stan 2006 http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2006.1794 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rsta.2006.1794 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full-xml/10.1098/rsta.2006.1794 en eng The Royal Society https://royalsociety.org/journals/ethics-policies/data-sharing-mining/ Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences volume 364, issue 1844, page 1657-1681 ISSN 1364-503X 1471-2962 journal-article 2006 crroyalsociety https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2006.1794 2024-05-07T14:16:13Z The Southern Ocean has been in a state of disequilibrium with its atmosphere and cryosphere during recent decades. Ocean station and drifting float observations have revealed rising temperatures in the upper 3000 m. Salinity has declined in intermediate waters and more rapidly in the sparsely sampled high latitudes. Dissolved oxygen levels may also have decreased, but measurement accuracy is inconsistent. Sea ice area increased from 1979 to 1998, particularly in the Ross Sea, while a decline in ice extent since the early 1970s has been led by the Amundsen–Bellingshausen sector. Fresher waters with lower oxygen isotope content on the Pacific–Antarctic continental shelf are consistent with increased melting of continental ice. Newly forming bottom water has become colder and less salty downstream from that region, but generally warmer in the Weddell Sea. Many ice shelves have retreated or thinned, but others have grown and no trend is apparent in the large iceberg calving rate. Warming and isotherm shoaling within the polar gyres may result in part from changes in the Southern Annular Mode, which could facilitate deep-water access to the continental shelves. Sea-level rise over the past half century has a strong eustatic component and has recently accelerated. Observations over longer periods and with better spatial coverage are needed to better understand the processes causing these changes and their links to the Antarctic ice sheet. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Ice Sheet Ice Shelves Iceberg* Ross Sea Sea ice Southern Ocean Weddell Sea The Royal Society Antarctic Southern Ocean The Antarctic Weddell Sea Ross Sea Pacific Weddell Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences 364 1844 1657 1681 |
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Open Polar |
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The Royal Society |
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crroyalsociety |
language |
English |
description |
The Southern Ocean has been in a state of disequilibrium with its atmosphere and cryosphere during recent decades. Ocean station and drifting float observations have revealed rising temperatures in the upper 3000 m. Salinity has declined in intermediate waters and more rapidly in the sparsely sampled high latitudes. Dissolved oxygen levels may also have decreased, but measurement accuracy is inconsistent. Sea ice area increased from 1979 to 1998, particularly in the Ross Sea, while a decline in ice extent since the early 1970s has been led by the Amundsen–Bellingshausen sector. Fresher waters with lower oxygen isotope content on the Pacific–Antarctic continental shelf are consistent with increased melting of continental ice. Newly forming bottom water has become colder and less salty downstream from that region, but generally warmer in the Weddell Sea. Many ice shelves have retreated or thinned, but others have grown and no trend is apparent in the large iceberg calving rate. Warming and isotherm shoaling within the polar gyres may result in part from changes in the Southern Annular Mode, which could facilitate deep-water access to the continental shelves. Sea-level rise over the past half century has a strong eustatic component and has recently accelerated. Observations over longer periods and with better spatial coverage are needed to better understand the processes causing these changes and their links to the Antarctic ice sheet. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Jacobs, Stan |
spellingShingle |
Jacobs, Stan Observations of change in the Southern Ocean |
author_facet |
Jacobs, Stan |
author_sort |
Jacobs, Stan |
title |
Observations of change in the Southern Ocean |
title_short |
Observations of change in the Southern Ocean |
title_full |
Observations of change in the Southern Ocean |
title_fullStr |
Observations of change in the Southern Ocean |
title_full_unstemmed |
Observations of change in the Southern Ocean |
title_sort |
observations of change in the southern ocean |
publisher |
The Royal Society |
publishDate |
2006 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2006.1794 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rsta.2006.1794 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full-xml/10.1098/rsta.2006.1794 |
geographic |
Antarctic Southern Ocean The Antarctic Weddell Sea Ross Sea Pacific Weddell |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic Southern Ocean The Antarctic Weddell Sea Ross Sea Pacific Weddell |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Ice Sheet Ice Shelves Iceberg* Ross Sea Sea ice Southern Ocean Weddell Sea |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Ice Sheet Ice Shelves Iceberg* Ross Sea Sea ice Southern Ocean Weddell Sea |
op_source |
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences volume 364, issue 1844, page 1657-1681 ISSN 1364-503X 1471-2962 |
op_rights |
https://royalsociety.org/journals/ethics-policies/data-sharing-mining/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2006.1794 |
container_title |
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences |
container_volume |
364 |
container_issue |
1844 |
container_start_page |
1657 |
op_container_end_page |
1681 |
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1800741354011099136 |