The Sleeping Giant: Measuring Ocean-Ice Interactions in Antarctica
Global sea level rise threatens to be one of the most costly consequences of human-caused climate change. And yet, projections of sea level rise remain poorly understood and highly uncertain. The largest potential contribution to global sea level rise involves the loss of ice covering all or even a...
Main Authors: | , , |
---|---|
Format: | Report |
Language: | unknown |
Published: |
Keck Institute for Space Studies
2015
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://authors.library.caltech.edu/63422/ https://authors.library.caltech.edu/63422/1/Ocean_Ice_Final_Report.pdf https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20160106-113417076 |
id |
ftcaltechauth:oai:authors.library.caltech.edu:63422 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
ftcaltechauth:oai:authors.library.caltech.edu:63422 2023-05-15T13:55:33+02:00 The Sleeping Giant: Measuring Ocean-Ice Interactions in Antarctica Thompson, Andrew F. Willis, Josh Payne, Anthony 2015-12 application/pdf https://authors.library.caltech.edu/63422/ https://authors.library.caltech.edu/63422/1/Ocean_Ice_Final_Report.pdf https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20160106-113417076 unknown Keck Institute for Space Studies https://authors.library.caltech.edu/63422/1/Ocean_Ice_Final_Report.pdf Thompson, Andrew F. and Willis, Josh and Payne, Anthony (2015) The Sleeping Giant: Measuring Ocean-Ice Interactions in Antarctica. Keck Institute for Space Studies , Pasadena, CA. (Unpublished) https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20160106-113417076 <https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20160106-113417076> Report or Paper PeerReviewed 2015 ftcaltechauth 2020-04-26T17:03:34Z Global sea level rise threatens to be one of the most costly consequences of human-caused climate change. And yet, projections of sea level rise remain poorly understood and highly uncertain. The largest potential contribution to global sea level rise involves the loss of ice covering all or even a portion of Antarctica. As global atmospheric and ocean temperatures rise, physical processes related to the ocean’s circulation: (i) carry this additional heat into the deep ocean, (ii) transport it poleward via the overturning circulation and (iii) ultimately deliver the heat to the underside of floating Antarctic ice shelves. Enhanced melting that occurs due to warm ocean waters plays an important role in the loss of ice from the continent. Our understanding of the first two steps that bring heat towards Antarctica has increased substantially over the past two decades through improved measurements of air-sea interactions and interior ocean properties (e.g., Argo). Yet, the constraints on the oceanic delivery of heat to Antarctic ice shelves and its impact on melt rates remains critically under-studied. Our inability to constrain the rate of retreat of Antarctic glaciers and how the Antarctic Ice Sheet will behave in a warming climate remains the single most significant reason for the large uncertainty in sea level projections over the 21st century. This problem is the focus of the KISS study, "The Sleeping Giant: Measuring Ocean Ice Interactions in Antarctica," and stands as one of the grand challenges of climate science today. Report Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Ice Sheet Ice Shelves Caltech Authors (California Institute of Technology) Antarctic The Antarctic |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Caltech Authors (California Institute of Technology) |
op_collection_id |
ftcaltechauth |
language |
unknown |
description |
Global sea level rise threatens to be one of the most costly consequences of human-caused climate change. And yet, projections of sea level rise remain poorly understood and highly uncertain. The largest potential contribution to global sea level rise involves the loss of ice covering all or even a portion of Antarctica. As global atmospheric and ocean temperatures rise, physical processes related to the ocean’s circulation: (i) carry this additional heat into the deep ocean, (ii) transport it poleward via the overturning circulation and (iii) ultimately deliver the heat to the underside of floating Antarctic ice shelves. Enhanced melting that occurs due to warm ocean waters plays an important role in the loss of ice from the continent. Our understanding of the first two steps that bring heat towards Antarctica has increased substantially over the past two decades through improved measurements of air-sea interactions and interior ocean properties (e.g., Argo). Yet, the constraints on the oceanic delivery of heat to Antarctic ice shelves and its impact on melt rates remains critically under-studied. Our inability to constrain the rate of retreat of Antarctic glaciers and how the Antarctic Ice Sheet will behave in a warming climate remains the single most significant reason for the large uncertainty in sea level projections over the 21st century. This problem is the focus of the KISS study, "The Sleeping Giant: Measuring Ocean Ice Interactions in Antarctica," and stands as one of the grand challenges of climate science today. |
format |
Report |
author |
Thompson, Andrew F. Willis, Josh Payne, Anthony |
spellingShingle |
Thompson, Andrew F. Willis, Josh Payne, Anthony The Sleeping Giant: Measuring Ocean-Ice Interactions in Antarctica |
author_facet |
Thompson, Andrew F. Willis, Josh Payne, Anthony |
author_sort |
Thompson, Andrew F. |
title |
The Sleeping Giant: Measuring Ocean-Ice Interactions in Antarctica |
title_short |
The Sleeping Giant: Measuring Ocean-Ice Interactions in Antarctica |
title_full |
The Sleeping Giant: Measuring Ocean-Ice Interactions in Antarctica |
title_fullStr |
The Sleeping Giant: Measuring Ocean-Ice Interactions in Antarctica |
title_full_unstemmed |
The Sleeping Giant: Measuring Ocean-Ice Interactions in Antarctica |
title_sort |
sleeping giant: measuring ocean-ice interactions in antarctica |
publisher |
Keck Institute for Space Studies |
publishDate |
2015 |
url |
https://authors.library.caltech.edu/63422/ https://authors.library.caltech.edu/63422/1/Ocean_Ice_Final_Report.pdf https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20160106-113417076 |
geographic |
Antarctic The Antarctic |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic The Antarctic |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Ice Sheet Ice Shelves |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Ice Sheet Ice Shelves |
op_relation |
https://authors.library.caltech.edu/63422/1/Ocean_Ice_Final_Report.pdf Thompson, Andrew F. and Willis, Josh and Payne, Anthony (2015) The Sleeping Giant: Measuring Ocean-Ice Interactions in Antarctica. Keck Institute for Space Studies , Pasadena, CA. (Unpublished) https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20160106-113417076 <https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20160106-113417076> |
_version_ |
1766262262968877056 |