Recent atmospheric warming and retreat of ice shelves on the Antarctic Peninsula
IN 1978 Mercer1 discussed the probable effects of climate warming on the Antarctic Ice Sheet, predicting that one sign of a warming trend in this region would be the retreat of ice shelves on the Antarctic Peninsula. Analyses of 50-year meteorological records have since revealed atmospheric warming...
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Online Access: | http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/515346/ https://doi.org/10.1038/379328a0 |
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ftnerc:oai:nora.nerc.ac.uk:515346 2023-05-15T13:49:33+02:00 Recent atmospheric warming and retreat of ice shelves on the Antarctic Peninsula Vaughan, D. G. Doake, C. S. M. 1996-01 http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/515346/ https://doi.org/10.1038/379328a0 unknown Nature Publishing Group Vaughan, D. G. orcid:0000-0002-9065-0570 Doake, C. S. M. 1996 Recent atmospheric warming and retreat of ice shelves on the Antarctic Peninsula. Nature, 379 (6563). 328-331. https://doi.org/10.1038/379328a0 <https://doi.org/10.1038/379328a0> Publication - Article PeerReviewed 1996 ftnerc https://doi.org/10.1038/379328a0 2023-02-04T19:43:58Z IN 1978 Mercer1 discussed the probable effects of climate warming on the Antarctic Ice Sheet, predicting that one sign of a warming trend in this region would be the retreat of ice shelves on the Antarctic Peninsula. Analyses of 50-year meteorological records have since revealed atmospheric warming on the Antarctic Peninsula2,3, and a number of ice shelves have retreated4–8. Here we present time-series of observations of the areal extent of nine ice shelves on the Antarctic Peninsula, showing that five northerly ones have retreated dramatically in the past fifty years, while those further south show no clear trend. Comparison with airtemperature data shows that the pattern and magnitude of ice-shelf retreat is consistent with the existence of an abrupt thermal limit on iceshelf viability, the isotherm associated with this limit having been driven south by the atmospheric warming. Ice shelves therefore appear to be sensitive indicators of climate change. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Ice Sheet Ice Shelf Ice Shelves Natural Environment Research Council: NERC Open Research Archive Antarctic The Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Nature 379 6563 328 331 |
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Open Polar |
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Natural Environment Research Council: NERC Open Research Archive |
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ftnerc |
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unknown |
description |
IN 1978 Mercer1 discussed the probable effects of climate warming on the Antarctic Ice Sheet, predicting that one sign of a warming trend in this region would be the retreat of ice shelves on the Antarctic Peninsula. Analyses of 50-year meteorological records have since revealed atmospheric warming on the Antarctic Peninsula2,3, and a number of ice shelves have retreated4–8. Here we present time-series of observations of the areal extent of nine ice shelves on the Antarctic Peninsula, showing that five northerly ones have retreated dramatically in the past fifty years, while those further south show no clear trend. Comparison with airtemperature data shows that the pattern and magnitude of ice-shelf retreat is consistent with the existence of an abrupt thermal limit on iceshelf viability, the isotherm associated with this limit having been driven south by the atmospheric warming. Ice shelves therefore appear to be sensitive indicators of climate change. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Vaughan, D. G. Doake, C. S. M. |
spellingShingle |
Vaughan, D. G. Doake, C. S. M. Recent atmospheric warming and retreat of ice shelves on the Antarctic Peninsula |
author_facet |
Vaughan, D. G. Doake, C. S. M. |
author_sort |
Vaughan, D. G. |
title |
Recent atmospheric warming and retreat of ice shelves on the Antarctic Peninsula |
title_short |
Recent atmospheric warming and retreat of ice shelves on the Antarctic Peninsula |
title_full |
Recent atmospheric warming and retreat of ice shelves on the Antarctic Peninsula |
title_fullStr |
Recent atmospheric warming and retreat of ice shelves on the Antarctic Peninsula |
title_full_unstemmed |
Recent atmospheric warming and retreat of ice shelves on the Antarctic Peninsula |
title_sort |
recent atmospheric warming and retreat of ice shelves on the antarctic peninsula |
publisher |
Nature Publishing Group |
publishDate |
1996 |
url |
http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/515346/ https://doi.org/10.1038/379328a0 |
geographic |
Antarctic The Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic The Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Ice Sheet Ice Shelf Ice Shelves |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Ice Sheet Ice Shelf Ice Shelves |
op_relation |
Vaughan, D. G. orcid:0000-0002-9065-0570 Doake, C. S. M. 1996 Recent atmospheric warming and retreat of ice shelves on the Antarctic Peninsula. Nature, 379 (6563). 328-331. https://doi.org/10.1038/379328a0 <https://doi.org/10.1038/379328a0> |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1038/379328a0 |
container_title |
Nature |
container_volume |
379 |
container_issue |
6563 |
container_start_page |
328 |
op_container_end_page |
331 |
_version_ |
1766251601295572992 |