Central West Antarctica among the most rapidly warming regions on Earth
temperature changes in recent decades remain uncertain. West Antarctica has probably warmed since the 1950s, but there is disagreement regarding the magnitude, seasonality and spatial extent of this warming. This is primarily because long-term near-surface temperature observations are restricted to...
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ftciteseerx:oai:CiteSeerX.psu:10.1.1.394.1974 2023-05-15T13:24:17+02:00 Central West Antarctica among the most rapidly warming regions on Earth David H. Bromwich Julien P. Nicolas Andrew J. Monaghan Matthew A. Lazzara Linda M. Keller George A. Weidner Aaron B. Wilson The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives 2012 application/pdf http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.394.1974 http://cambioclimatico-bolivia.org/archivos/20130224004616_0.pdf en eng http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.394.1974 http://cambioclimatico-bolivia.org/archivos/20130224004616_0.pdf Metadata may be used without restrictions as long as the oai identifier remains attached to it. http://cambioclimatico-bolivia.org/archivos/20130224004616_0.pdf text 2012 ftciteseerx 2016-01-08T02:23:43Z temperature changes in recent decades remain uncertain. West Antarctica has probably warmed since the 1950s, but there is disagreement regarding the magnitude, seasonality and spatial extent of this warming. This is primarily because long-term near-surface temperature observations are restricted to Byrd Station in central West Antarctica, a data set with substantial gaps. Here, we present a complete temperature record for Byrd Station, in which observations have been corrected, and gaps have been filled using global reanalysis data and spatial interpolation. The record reveals a linear increase in annual temperature between 1958 and 2010 by 2.4±1.2 ◦ C, establishing central West Antarctica as one of the fastest-warming regions globally. We confirm previous reports of West Antarctic warming, in annual average and in austral spring and winter, but find substantially larger temperature increases. In contrast to previous studies, we report statistically significant warming during austral summer, particularly in December–January, the peak of the melting season. A continued rise in summer temperatures could lead to more frequent and extensive episodes of surface melting of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. These results argue for a robust long-term meteorological observation network in the region. Glacier acceleration along the Amundsen Sea coast 1 has been responsible for the increasing mass loss from the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) in recent years 2. This has raised concerns about the present and future state of the WAIS, given its known potential instability in a warmer climate 3. Key mechanisms behind this acceleration have been identified as the melting and thinning of the floating ice shelves triggered by warm ocean water 4,5. In comparison, it is still a matter of debate whether the atmosphere above the WAIS has warmed over the past few decades, especially since the 1957–1958 International Geophysical Year, the start of Text Amundsen Sea Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Ice Sheet Ice Shelves West Antarctica Unknown Amundsen Sea Antarctic Austral Byrd Byrd Station ENVELOPE(-119.533,-119.533,-80.017,-80.017) West Antarctic Ice Sheet West Antarctica |
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Open Polar |
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ftciteseerx |
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English |
description |
temperature changes in recent decades remain uncertain. West Antarctica has probably warmed since the 1950s, but there is disagreement regarding the magnitude, seasonality and spatial extent of this warming. This is primarily because long-term near-surface temperature observations are restricted to Byrd Station in central West Antarctica, a data set with substantial gaps. Here, we present a complete temperature record for Byrd Station, in which observations have been corrected, and gaps have been filled using global reanalysis data and spatial interpolation. The record reveals a linear increase in annual temperature between 1958 and 2010 by 2.4±1.2 ◦ C, establishing central West Antarctica as one of the fastest-warming regions globally. We confirm previous reports of West Antarctic warming, in annual average and in austral spring and winter, but find substantially larger temperature increases. In contrast to previous studies, we report statistically significant warming during austral summer, particularly in December–January, the peak of the melting season. A continued rise in summer temperatures could lead to more frequent and extensive episodes of surface melting of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. These results argue for a robust long-term meteorological observation network in the region. Glacier acceleration along the Amundsen Sea coast 1 has been responsible for the increasing mass loss from the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) in recent years 2. This has raised concerns about the present and future state of the WAIS, given its known potential instability in a warmer climate 3. Key mechanisms behind this acceleration have been identified as the melting and thinning of the floating ice shelves triggered by warm ocean water 4,5. In comparison, it is still a matter of debate whether the atmosphere above the WAIS has warmed over the past few decades, especially since the 1957–1958 International Geophysical Year, the start of |
author2 |
The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives |
format |
Text |
author |
David H. Bromwich Julien P. Nicolas Andrew J. Monaghan Matthew A. Lazzara Linda M. Keller George A. Weidner Aaron B. Wilson |
spellingShingle |
David H. Bromwich Julien P. Nicolas Andrew J. Monaghan Matthew A. Lazzara Linda M. Keller George A. Weidner Aaron B. Wilson Central West Antarctica among the most rapidly warming regions on Earth |
author_facet |
David H. Bromwich Julien P. Nicolas Andrew J. Monaghan Matthew A. Lazzara Linda M. Keller George A. Weidner Aaron B. Wilson |
author_sort |
David H. Bromwich |
title |
Central West Antarctica among the most rapidly warming regions on Earth |
title_short |
Central West Antarctica among the most rapidly warming regions on Earth |
title_full |
Central West Antarctica among the most rapidly warming regions on Earth |
title_fullStr |
Central West Antarctica among the most rapidly warming regions on Earth |
title_full_unstemmed |
Central West Antarctica among the most rapidly warming regions on Earth |
title_sort |
central west antarctica among the most rapidly warming regions on earth |
publishDate |
2012 |
url |
http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.394.1974 http://cambioclimatico-bolivia.org/archivos/20130224004616_0.pdf |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-119.533,-119.533,-80.017,-80.017) |
geographic |
Amundsen Sea Antarctic Austral Byrd Byrd Station West Antarctic Ice Sheet West Antarctica |
geographic_facet |
Amundsen Sea Antarctic Austral Byrd Byrd Station West Antarctic Ice Sheet West Antarctica |
genre |
Amundsen Sea Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Ice Sheet Ice Shelves West Antarctica |
genre_facet |
Amundsen Sea Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Ice Sheet Ice Shelves West Antarctica |
op_source |
http://cambioclimatico-bolivia.org/archivos/20130224004616_0.pdf |
op_relation |
http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.394.1974 http://cambioclimatico-bolivia.org/archivos/20130224004616_0.pdf |
op_rights |
Metadata may be used without restrictions as long as the oai identifier remains attached to it. |
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1766378483205799936 |