Ocean temperature thresholds for Last Interglacial West Antarctic Ice Sheet collapse
The West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) is considered the major contributor to global sea level rise in the Last Interglacial (LIG) and potentially in the future. Exposed fossil reef terraces suggest sea levels in excess of 7 m in the last warm era, of which probably not much more than 2 m are considere...
Published in: | Geophysical Research Letters |
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Online Access: | https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/44286/ https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/44286/1/Sutter_et_al-2016-Geophysical_Research_Letters.pdf https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL067818 |
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ftoceanrep:oai:oceanrep.geomar.de:44286 2023-05-15T13:37:37+02:00 Ocean temperature thresholds for Last Interglacial West Antarctic Ice Sheet collapse Sutter, Johannes Gierz, Paul Grosfeld, Klaus Thoma, Malte Lohmann, Gerrit 2016 text https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/44286/ https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/44286/1/Sutter_et_al-2016-Geophysical_Research_Letters.pdf https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL067818 en eng AGU (American Geophysical Union) Wiley https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/44286/1/Sutter_et_al-2016-Geophysical_Research_Letters.pdf Sutter, J., Gierz, P., Grosfeld, K., Thoma, M. and Lohmann, G. (2016) Ocean temperature thresholds for Last Interglacial West Antarctic Ice Sheet collapse. Open Access Geophysical Research Letters, 43 (6). pp. 2675-2682. DOI 10.1002/2016GL067818 <https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL067818>. doi:10.1002/2016GL067818 cc_by_nc_nd_4.0 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess Article PeerReviewed 2016 ftoceanrep https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL067818 2023-04-07T15:41:22Z The West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) is considered the major contributor to global sea level rise in the Last Interglacial (LIG) and potentially in the future. Exposed fossil reef terraces suggest sea levels in excess of 7 m in the last warm era, of which probably not much more than 2 m are considered to originate from melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet. We simulate the evolution of the Antarctic Ice Sheet during the LIG with a 3‐D thermomechanical ice sheet model forced by an atmosphere‐ocean general circulation model (AOGCM). Our results show that high LIG sea levels cannot be reproduced with the atmosphere‐ocean forcing delivered by current AOGCMs. However, when taking reconstructed Southern Ocean temperature anomalies of several degrees, sensitivity studies indicate a Southern Ocean temperature anomaly threshold for total WAIS collapse of 2–3°C, accounting for a sea level rise of 3–4 m during the LIG. Potential future Antarctic Ice Sheet dynamics range from a moderate retreat to a complete collapse, depending on rate and amplitude of warming. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Greenland Ice Sheet Southern Ocean OceanRep (GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre für Ocean Research Kiel) Antarctic Greenland Southern Ocean The Antarctic West Antarctic Ice Sheet Geophysical Research Letters 43 6 2675 2682 |
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Open Polar |
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OceanRep (GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre für Ocean Research Kiel) |
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ftoceanrep |
language |
English |
description |
The West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) is considered the major contributor to global sea level rise in the Last Interglacial (LIG) and potentially in the future. Exposed fossil reef terraces suggest sea levels in excess of 7 m in the last warm era, of which probably not much more than 2 m are considered to originate from melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet. We simulate the evolution of the Antarctic Ice Sheet during the LIG with a 3‐D thermomechanical ice sheet model forced by an atmosphere‐ocean general circulation model (AOGCM). Our results show that high LIG sea levels cannot be reproduced with the atmosphere‐ocean forcing delivered by current AOGCMs. However, when taking reconstructed Southern Ocean temperature anomalies of several degrees, sensitivity studies indicate a Southern Ocean temperature anomaly threshold for total WAIS collapse of 2–3°C, accounting for a sea level rise of 3–4 m during the LIG. Potential future Antarctic Ice Sheet dynamics range from a moderate retreat to a complete collapse, depending on rate and amplitude of warming. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Sutter, Johannes Gierz, Paul Grosfeld, Klaus Thoma, Malte Lohmann, Gerrit |
spellingShingle |
Sutter, Johannes Gierz, Paul Grosfeld, Klaus Thoma, Malte Lohmann, Gerrit Ocean temperature thresholds for Last Interglacial West Antarctic Ice Sheet collapse |
author_facet |
Sutter, Johannes Gierz, Paul Grosfeld, Klaus Thoma, Malte Lohmann, Gerrit |
author_sort |
Sutter, Johannes |
title |
Ocean temperature thresholds for Last Interglacial West Antarctic Ice Sheet collapse |
title_short |
Ocean temperature thresholds for Last Interglacial West Antarctic Ice Sheet collapse |
title_full |
Ocean temperature thresholds for Last Interglacial West Antarctic Ice Sheet collapse |
title_fullStr |
Ocean temperature thresholds for Last Interglacial West Antarctic Ice Sheet collapse |
title_full_unstemmed |
Ocean temperature thresholds for Last Interglacial West Antarctic Ice Sheet collapse |
title_sort |
ocean temperature thresholds for last interglacial west antarctic ice sheet collapse |
publisher |
AGU (American Geophysical Union) |
publishDate |
2016 |
url |
https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/44286/ https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/44286/1/Sutter_et_al-2016-Geophysical_Research_Letters.pdf https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL067818 |
geographic |
Antarctic Greenland Southern Ocean The Antarctic West Antarctic Ice Sheet |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic Greenland Southern Ocean The Antarctic West Antarctic Ice Sheet |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Greenland Ice Sheet Southern Ocean |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Greenland Ice Sheet Southern Ocean |
op_relation |
https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/44286/1/Sutter_et_al-2016-Geophysical_Research_Letters.pdf Sutter, J., Gierz, P., Grosfeld, K., Thoma, M. and Lohmann, G. (2016) Ocean temperature thresholds for Last Interglacial West Antarctic Ice Sheet collapse. Open Access Geophysical Research Letters, 43 (6). pp. 2675-2682. DOI 10.1002/2016GL067818 <https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL067818>. doi:10.1002/2016GL067818 |
op_rights |
cc_by_nc_nd_4.0 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL067818 |
container_title |
Geophysical Research Letters |
container_volume |
43 |
container_issue |
6 |
container_start_page |
2675 |
op_container_end_page |
2682 |
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1766095005504503808 |