Oceanographic Controls on the Variability of Ice-Shelf Basal Melting and Circulation of Glacial Meltwater in the Amundsen Sea Embayment, Antarctica
Ice shelves in the Amundsen Sea Embayment have thinned, accelerating the seaward flow of ice sheets upstream over recent decades. This imbalance is caused by an increase in the ocean-driven melting of the ice shelves. Observations and models show that the ocean heat content reaching the ice shelves...
Published in: | Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans |
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Language: | English |
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American Geophysical Union
2017
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Online Access: | http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/519254/ https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/519254/1/Kimura_et_al-2017-Journal_of_Geophysical_Research__Oceans.pdf https://doi.org/10.1002/2017JC012926 |
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ftnerc:oai:nora.nerc.ac.uk:519254 2023-05-15T13:23:43+02:00 Oceanographic Controls on the Variability of Ice-Shelf Basal Melting and Circulation of Glacial Meltwater in the Amundsen Sea Embayment, Antarctica Kimura, Satoshi Jenkins, Adrian Regan, Heather Holland, Paul R. Assmann, Karen M. Whitt, Daniel B. Van Wessem, Melchoir van de Berg, Willem Jan Reijmer, Carleen H. Dutrieux, Pierre 2017-12 text http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/519254/ https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/519254/1/Kimura_et_al-2017-Journal_of_Geophysical_Research__Oceans.pdf https://doi.org/10.1002/2017JC012926 en eng American Geophysical Union https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/519254/1/Kimura_et_al-2017-Journal_of_Geophysical_Research__Oceans.pdf Kimura, Satoshi orcid:0000-0003-1689-1605 Jenkins, Adrian orcid:0000-0002-9117-0616 Regan, Heather; Holland, Paul R. orcid:0000-0001-8370-289X Assmann, Karen M.; Whitt, Daniel B.; Van Wessem, Melchoir; van de Berg, Willem Jan; Reijmer, Carleen H.; Dutrieux, Pierre. 2017 Oceanographic Controls on the Variability of Ice-Shelf Basal Melting and Circulation of Glacial Meltwater in the Amundsen Sea Embayment, Antarctica. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 122 (12). 10131-10155. https://doi.org/10.1002/2017JC012926 <https://doi.org/10.1002/2017JC012926> Publication - Article PeerReviewed 2017 ftnerc https://doi.org/10.1002/2017JC012926 2023-02-04T19:46:06Z Ice shelves in the Amundsen Sea Embayment have thinned, accelerating the seaward flow of ice sheets upstream over recent decades. This imbalance is caused by an increase in the ocean-driven melting of the ice shelves. Observations and models show that the ocean heat content reaching the ice shelves is sensitive to the depth of thermocline, which separates the cool, fresh surface waters from warm, salty waters. Yet the processes controlling the variability of thermocline depth remain poorly constrained. Here we quantify the oceanic conditions and ocean-driven melting of Cosgrove, Pine Island Glacier (PIG), Thwaites, Crosson, and Dotson ice shelves in the Amundsen Sea Embayment from 1991 to 2014 using a general circulation model. Ice-shelf melting is coupled to variability in the wind field and the sea-ice motions over the continental shelf break and associated onshore advection of warm waters in deep troughs. The layer of warm, salty waters at the calving front of PIG and Thwaites is thicker in austral spring (June–October) than in austral summer (December–March), whereas the seasonal cycle at the calving front of Dotson is reversed. Furthermore, the ocean-driven melting in PIG is enhanced by an asymmetric response to changes in ocean heat transport anomalies at the continental shelf break: melting responds more rapidly to increases in ocean heat transport than to decreases. This asymmetry is caused by the inland deepening of bathymetry and the glacial meltwater circulation around the ice shelf. Article in Journal/Newspaper Amundsen Sea Antarc* Antarctica Antarctica Journal Ice Shelf Ice Shelves Pine Island Pine Island Glacier Sea ice Natural Environment Research Council: NERC Open Research Archive Amundsen Sea Austral Pine Island Glacier ENVELOPE(-101.000,-101.000,-75.000,-75.000) Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans 122 12 10131 10155 |
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Open Polar |
collection |
Natural Environment Research Council: NERC Open Research Archive |
op_collection_id |
ftnerc |
language |
English |
description |
Ice shelves in the Amundsen Sea Embayment have thinned, accelerating the seaward flow of ice sheets upstream over recent decades. This imbalance is caused by an increase in the ocean-driven melting of the ice shelves. Observations and models show that the ocean heat content reaching the ice shelves is sensitive to the depth of thermocline, which separates the cool, fresh surface waters from warm, salty waters. Yet the processes controlling the variability of thermocline depth remain poorly constrained. Here we quantify the oceanic conditions and ocean-driven melting of Cosgrove, Pine Island Glacier (PIG), Thwaites, Crosson, and Dotson ice shelves in the Amundsen Sea Embayment from 1991 to 2014 using a general circulation model. Ice-shelf melting is coupled to variability in the wind field and the sea-ice motions over the continental shelf break and associated onshore advection of warm waters in deep troughs. The layer of warm, salty waters at the calving front of PIG and Thwaites is thicker in austral spring (June–October) than in austral summer (December–March), whereas the seasonal cycle at the calving front of Dotson is reversed. Furthermore, the ocean-driven melting in PIG is enhanced by an asymmetric response to changes in ocean heat transport anomalies at the continental shelf break: melting responds more rapidly to increases in ocean heat transport than to decreases. This asymmetry is caused by the inland deepening of bathymetry and the glacial meltwater circulation around the ice shelf. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Kimura, Satoshi Jenkins, Adrian Regan, Heather Holland, Paul R. Assmann, Karen M. Whitt, Daniel B. Van Wessem, Melchoir van de Berg, Willem Jan Reijmer, Carleen H. Dutrieux, Pierre |
spellingShingle |
Kimura, Satoshi Jenkins, Adrian Regan, Heather Holland, Paul R. Assmann, Karen M. Whitt, Daniel B. Van Wessem, Melchoir van de Berg, Willem Jan Reijmer, Carleen H. Dutrieux, Pierre Oceanographic Controls on the Variability of Ice-Shelf Basal Melting and Circulation of Glacial Meltwater in the Amundsen Sea Embayment, Antarctica |
author_facet |
Kimura, Satoshi Jenkins, Adrian Regan, Heather Holland, Paul R. Assmann, Karen M. Whitt, Daniel B. Van Wessem, Melchoir van de Berg, Willem Jan Reijmer, Carleen H. Dutrieux, Pierre |
author_sort |
Kimura, Satoshi |
title |
Oceanographic Controls on the Variability of Ice-Shelf Basal Melting and Circulation of Glacial Meltwater in the Amundsen Sea Embayment, Antarctica |
title_short |
Oceanographic Controls on the Variability of Ice-Shelf Basal Melting and Circulation of Glacial Meltwater in the Amundsen Sea Embayment, Antarctica |
title_full |
Oceanographic Controls on the Variability of Ice-Shelf Basal Melting and Circulation of Glacial Meltwater in the Amundsen Sea Embayment, Antarctica |
title_fullStr |
Oceanographic Controls on the Variability of Ice-Shelf Basal Melting and Circulation of Glacial Meltwater in the Amundsen Sea Embayment, Antarctica |
title_full_unstemmed |
Oceanographic Controls on the Variability of Ice-Shelf Basal Melting and Circulation of Glacial Meltwater in the Amundsen Sea Embayment, Antarctica |
title_sort |
oceanographic controls on the variability of ice-shelf basal melting and circulation of glacial meltwater in the amundsen sea embayment, antarctica |
publisher |
American Geophysical Union |
publishDate |
2017 |
url |
http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/519254/ https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/519254/1/Kimura_et_al-2017-Journal_of_Geophysical_Research__Oceans.pdf https://doi.org/10.1002/2017JC012926 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-101.000,-101.000,-75.000,-75.000) |
geographic |
Amundsen Sea Austral Pine Island Glacier |
geographic_facet |
Amundsen Sea Austral Pine Island Glacier |
genre |
Amundsen Sea Antarc* Antarctica Antarctica Journal Ice Shelf Ice Shelves Pine Island Pine Island Glacier Sea ice |
genre_facet |
Amundsen Sea Antarc* Antarctica Antarctica Journal Ice Shelf Ice Shelves Pine Island Pine Island Glacier Sea ice |
op_relation |
https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/519254/1/Kimura_et_al-2017-Journal_of_Geophysical_Research__Oceans.pdf Kimura, Satoshi orcid:0000-0003-1689-1605 Jenkins, Adrian orcid:0000-0002-9117-0616 Regan, Heather; Holland, Paul R. orcid:0000-0001-8370-289X Assmann, Karen M.; Whitt, Daniel B.; Van Wessem, Melchoir; van de Berg, Willem Jan; Reijmer, Carleen H.; Dutrieux, Pierre. 2017 Oceanographic Controls on the Variability of Ice-Shelf Basal Melting and Circulation of Glacial Meltwater in the Amundsen Sea Embayment, Antarctica. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 122 (12). 10131-10155. https://doi.org/10.1002/2017JC012926 <https://doi.org/10.1002/2017JC012926> |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1002/2017JC012926 |
container_title |
Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans |
container_volume |
122 |
container_issue |
12 |
container_start_page |
10131 |
op_container_end_page |
10155 |
_version_ |
1766374438170787840 |