Amundsen Sea circulation controls bottom upwelling and Antarctic Pine Island and Thwaites ice shelf melting
Abstract The Pine Island and Thwaites Ice Shelves (PIIS/TIS) in the Amundsen Sea are melting rapidly and impacting global sea levels. The thermocline depth (TD) variability, the interface between cold Winter Water and warm modified Circumpolar Deep Water (mCDW), at the PIIS/TIS front strongly correl...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:81edafb5d9d24726b43cba7da354062f 2024-09-15T17:38:58+00:00 Amundsen Sea circulation controls bottom upwelling and Antarctic Pine Island and Thwaites ice shelf melting Taewook Park Yoshihiro Nakayama SungHyun Nam 2024-04-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-47084-z https://doaj.org/article/81edafb5d9d24726b43cba7da354062f EN eng Nature Portfolio https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-47084-z https://doaj.org/toc/2041-1723 doi:10.1038/s41467-024-47084-z 2041-1723 https://doaj.org/article/81edafb5d9d24726b43cba7da354062f Nature Communications, Vol 15, Iss 1, Pp 1-9 (2024) Science Q article 2024 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-47084-z 2024-08-05T17:49:36Z Abstract The Pine Island and Thwaites Ice Shelves (PIIS/TIS) in the Amundsen Sea are melting rapidly and impacting global sea levels. The thermocline depth (TD) variability, the interface between cold Winter Water and warm modified Circumpolar Deep Water (mCDW), at the PIIS/TIS front strongly correlates with basal melt rates, but the drivers of its interannual variability remain uncertain. Here, using an ocean model, we propose that the strength of the eastern Amundsen Sea on-shelf circulation primarily controls TD variability and consequent PIIS/TIS melt rates. The TD variability occurs because the on-shelf circulation meanders following the submarine glacial trough, creating vertical velocity through bottom Ekman dynamics. We suggest that a strong or weak ocean circulation, possibly linked to remote winds in the Bellingshausen Sea, generates corresponding changes in bottom Ekman convergence, which modulates mCDW upwelling and TD variability. We show that interannual variability of off-shelf zonal winds has a minor effect on ocean heat intrusion into PIIS/TIS cavities, contrary to the widely accepted concept. Article in Journal/Newspaper Amundsen Sea Antarc* Antarctic Bellingshausen Sea Ice Shelf Ice Shelves Thwaites Ice Shelf Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Nature Communications 15 1 |
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Science Q Taewook Park Yoshihiro Nakayama SungHyun Nam Amundsen Sea circulation controls bottom upwelling and Antarctic Pine Island and Thwaites ice shelf melting |
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Science Q |
description |
Abstract The Pine Island and Thwaites Ice Shelves (PIIS/TIS) in the Amundsen Sea are melting rapidly and impacting global sea levels. The thermocline depth (TD) variability, the interface between cold Winter Water and warm modified Circumpolar Deep Water (mCDW), at the PIIS/TIS front strongly correlates with basal melt rates, but the drivers of its interannual variability remain uncertain. Here, using an ocean model, we propose that the strength of the eastern Amundsen Sea on-shelf circulation primarily controls TD variability and consequent PIIS/TIS melt rates. The TD variability occurs because the on-shelf circulation meanders following the submarine glacial trough, creating vertical velocity through bottom Ekman dynamics. We suggest that a strong or weak ocean circulation, possibly linked to remote winds in the Bellingshausen Sea, generates corresponding changes in bottom Ekman convergence, which modulates mCDW upwelling and TD variability. We show that interannual variability of off-shelf zonal winds has a minor effect on ocean heat intrusion into PIIS/TIS cavities, contrary to the widely accepted concept. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Taewook Park Yoshihiro Nakayama SungHyun Nam |
author_facet |
Taewook Park Yoshihiro Nakayama SungHyun Nam |
author_sort |
Taewook Park |
title |
Amundsen Sea circulation controls bottom upwelling and Antarctic Pine Island and Thwaites ice shelf melting |
title_short |
Amundsen Sea circulation controls bottom upwelling and Antarctic Pine Island and Thwaites ice shelf melting |
title_full |
Amundsen Sea circulation controls bottom upwelling and Antarctic Pine Island and Thwaites ice shelf melting |
title_fullStr |
Amundsen Sea circulation controls bottom upwelling and Antarctic Pine Island and Thwaites ice shelf melting |
title_full_unstemmed |
Amundsen Sea circulation controls bottom upwelling and Antarctic Pine Island and Thwaites ice shelf melting |
title_sort |
amundsen sea circulation controls bottom upwelling and antarctic pine island and thwaites ice shelf melting |
publisher |
Nature Portfolio |
publishDate |
2024 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-47084-z https://doaj.org/article/81edafb5d9d24726b43cba7da354062f |
genre |
Amundsen Sea Antarc* Antarctic Bellingshausen Sea Ice Shelf Ice Shelves Thwaites Ice Shelf |
genre_facet |
Amundsen Sea Antarc* Antarctic Bellingshausen Sea Ice Shelf Ice Shelves Thwaites Ice Shelf |
op_source |
Nature Communications, Vol 15, Iss 1, Pp 1-9 (2024) |
op_relation |
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-47084-z https://doaj.org/toc/2041-1723 doi:10.1038/s41467-024-47084-z 2041-1723 https://doaj.org/article/81edafb5d9d24726b43cba7da354062f |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-47084-z |
container_title |
Nature Communications |
container_volume |
15 |
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1 |
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1810476538647281664 |