Open-ocean polynyas in the cooperation sea, Antarctica

• Main Authors: Qin, Q., Wang, Z., Liu, C., Cheng, C.
• Format: Conference Object
• Language: English
• Published: 2023
• Subjects: Antarctic; Cooperation Sea; Southern Ocean; Weddell; Antarc*; Antarctica; Sea ice
• Online Access: https://gfzpublic.gfz-potsdam.de/pubman/item/item_5016034

An open-ocean polynya is an offshore area where the sea ice is significantly less than that of its surrounding area. Polynyas are known as oases in Antarctic for driving the interactions between the atmosphere and the ocean. Extensive studies have addressed the characteristics and mechanisms of open-ocean polynyas in the Weddell and Cosmonaut Seas. The purpose of this study is to indicate the existence of more persistent open-ocean polynyas in the Cooperation Sea and propose the atmospheric and oceanic forcing mechanisms responsible for the formation of the open-ocean polynyas. Our results offer a more complete circumpolar view of open-ocean polynyas in the Southern Ocean and have implications for physical, biological, and biogeochemical studies of the Southern Ocean. Future efforts should be particularly devoted to more extensively observing the ocean circulation to understand the variability of open-ocean polynyas in the Cooperation Sea.