The role of föhn winds in eastern Antarctic Peninsula rapid ice shelf collapse
Ice shelf collapse reduces buttressing and enables grounded glaciers to contribute more rapidly to sea-level rise in a warming climate. The abrupt collapses of the Larsen A (1995) and B (2002) ice shelves on the Antarctic Peninsula (AP) occurred, at least for Larsen B, when long-period ocean swells...
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ftcopernicus:oai:publications.copernicus.org:tc97956 2023-05-15T14:02:18+02:00 The role of föhn winds in eastern Antarctic Peninsula rapid ice shelf collapse Laffin, Matthew K. Zender, Charles S. Wessem, Melchior Marinsek, Sebastián 2022-04-13 application/pdf https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-1369-2022 https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/16/1369/2022/ eng eng doi:10.5194/tc-16-1369-2022 https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/16/1369/2022/ eISSN: 1994-0424 Text 2022 ftcopernicus https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-1369-2022 2022-04-18T16:21:49Z Ice shelf collapse reduces buttressing and enables grounded glaciers to contribute more rapidly to sea-level rise in a warming climate. The abrupt collapses of the Larsen A (1995) and B (2002) ice shelves on the Antarctic Peninsula (AP) occurred, at least for Larsen B, when long-period ocean swells damaged the calving front and the ice shelf was inundated with melt lakes that led to large-scale hydrofracture cascades. During collapse, field and satellite observations indicate föhn winds were present on both ice shelves. Here we use a regional climate model and machine learning analyses to evaluate the contributory roles of föhn winds and associated melt events prior to and during the collapses for ice shelves on the AP. Föhn winds caused about 25 % ± 3 % of the total annual melt in just 9 d on Larsen A prior to and during collapse and were present during the Larsen B collapse, which helped form extensive melt lakes. At the same time, the off-coast wind direction created by föhn winds helped melt and physically push sea ice away from the ice shelf calving fronts that allowed long-period ocean swells to reach and damage the front, which has been theorized to have ultimately triggered collapse. Collapsed ice shelves experienced enhanced surface melt driven by föhn winds over a large spatial extent and near the calving front, whereas SCAR inlet and the Larsen C ice shelves are affected less by föhn-wind-induced melt and do not experience large-scale melt ponds. These results suggest SCAR inlet and the Larsen C ice shelves may be less likely to experience rapid collapse due to föhn-driven melt so long as surface temperatures and föhn occurrence remain within historical bounds. Text Antarc* Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Ice Shelf Ice Shelves Sea ice Copernicus Publications: E-Journals Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Scar Inlet ENVELOPE(-61.867,-61.867,-65.933,-65.933) The Antarctic The Cryosphere 16 4 1369 1381 |
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Open Polar |
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Copernicus Publications: E-Journals |
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ftcopernicus |
language |
English |
description |
Ice shelf collapse reduces buttressing and enables grounded glaciers to contribute more rapidly to sea-level rise in a warming climate. The abrupt collapses of the Larsen A (1995) and B (2002) ice shelves on the Antarctic Peninsula (AP) occurred, at least for Larsen B, when long-period ocean swells damaged the calving front and the ice shelf was inundated with melt lakes that led to large-scale hydrofracture cascades. During collapse, field and satellite observations indicate föhn winds were present on both ice shelves. Here we use a regional climate model and machine learning analyses to evaluate the contributory roles of föhn winds and associated melt events prior to and during the collapses for ice shelves on the AP. Föhn winds caused about 25 % ± 3 % of the total annual melt in just 9 d on Larsen A prior to and during collapse and were present during the Larsen B collapse, which helped form extensive melt lakes. At the same time, the off-coast wind direction created by föhn winds helped melt and physically push sea ice away from the ice shelf calving fronts that allowed long-period ocean swells to reach and damage the front, which has been theorized to have ultimately triggered collapse. Collapsed ice shelves experienced enhanced surface melt driven by föhn winds over a large spatial extent and near the calving front, whereas SCAR inlet and the Larsen C ice shelves are affected less by föhn-wind-induced melt and do not experience large-scale melt ponds. These results suggest SCAR inlet and the Larsen C ice shelves may be less likely to experience rapid collapse due to föhn-driven melt so long as surface temperatures and föhn occurrence remain within historical bounds. |
format |
Text |
author |
Laffin, Matthew K. Zender, Charles S. Wessem, Melchior Marinsek, Sebastián |
spellingShingle |
Laffin, Matthew K. Zender, Charles S. Wessem, Melchior Marinsek, Sebastián The role of föhn winds in eastern Antarctic Peninsula rapid ice shelf collapse |
author_facet |
Laffin, Matthew K. Zender, Charles S. Wessem, Melchior Marinsek, Sebastián |
author_sort |
Laffin, Matthew K. |
title |
The role of föhn winds in eastern Antarctic Peninsula rapid ice shelf collapse |
title_short |
The role of föhn winds in eastern Antarctic Peninsula rapid ice shelf collapse |
title_full |
The role of föhn winds in eastern Antarctic Peninsula rapid ice shelf collapse |
title_fullStr |
The role of föhn winds in eastern Antarctic Peninsula rapid ice shelf collapse |
title_full_unstemmed |
The role of föhn winds in eastern Antarctic Peninsula rapid ice shelf collapse |
title_sort |
role of föhn winds in eastern antarctic peninsula rapid ice shelf collapse |
publishDate |
2022 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-1369-2022 https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/16/1369/2022/ |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-61.867,-61.867,-65.933,-65.933) |
geographic |
Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Scar Inlet The Antarctic |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Scar Inlet The Antarctic |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Ice Shelf Ice Shelves Sea ice |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Ice Shelf Ice Shelves Sea ice |
op_source |
eISSN: 1994-0424 |
op_relation |
doi:10.5194/tc-16-1369-2022 https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/16/1369/2022/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-1369-2022 |
container_title |
The Cryosphere |
container_volume |
16 |
container_issue |
4 |
container_start_page |
1369 |
op_container_end_page |
1381 |
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1766272495324758016 |