January 2016 extensive summer melt in West Antarctica favoured by strong El Niño
Over the past two decades the primary driver of mass loss from the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) has been warm ocean water underneath coastal ice shelves, not a warmer atmosphere. Yet, surface melt occurs sporadically over low-lying areas of the WAIS and is not fully understood. Here we report on...
Published in: | Nature Communications |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
Language: | unknown |
Published: |
2024
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1368678 https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1368678 https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms15799 |
id |
ftosti:oai:osti.gov:1368678 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
ftosti:oai:osti.gov:1368678 2024-02-11T09:57:59+01:00 January 2016 extensive summer melt in West Antarctica favoured by strong El Niño Nicolas, Julien P. Vogelmann, Andrew M. Scott, Ryan C. Wilson, Aaron B. Cadeddu, Maria P. Bromwich, David H. Verlinde, Johannes Lubin, Dan Russell, Lynn M. Jenkinson, Colin Powers, Heath H. Ryczek, Maciej Stone, Gregory Wille, Jonathan D. 2024-01-19 application/pdf http://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1368678 https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1368678 https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms15799 unknown http://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1368678 https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1368678 https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms15799 doi:10.1038/ncomms15799 54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES 2024 ftosti https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms15799 2024-01-20T23:50:57Z Over the past two decades the primary driver of mass loss from the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) has been warm ocean water underneath coastal ice shelves, not a warmer atmosphere. Yet, surface melt occurs sporadically over low-lying areas of the WAIS and is not fully understood. Here we report on an episode of extensive and prolonged surface melting observed in the Ross Sea sector of the WAIS in January 2016. A comprehensive cloud and radiation experiment at the WAIS ice divide, downwind of the melt region, provided detailed insight into the physical processes at play during the event. The unusual extent and duration of the melting are linked to strong and sustained advection of warm marine air toward the area, likely favoured by the concurrent strong El Niño event. Finally, the increase in the number of extreme El Niño events projected for the twenty-first century could expose the WAIS to more frequent major melt events. Other/Unknown Material Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Ice Sheet Ice Shelves Ross Sea West Antarctica SciTec Connect (Office of Scientific and Technical Information - OSTI, U.S. Department of Energy) Antarctic Ross Sea West Antarctica West Antarctic Ice Sheet Nature Communications 8 1 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
SciTec Connect (Office of Scientific and Technical Information - OSTI, U.S. Department of Energy) |
op_collection_id |
ftosti |
language |
unknown |
topic |
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES |
spellingShingle |
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES Nicolas, Julien P. Vogelmann, Andrew M. Scott, Ryan C. Wilson, Aaron B. Cadeddu, Maria P. Bromwich, David H. Verlinde, Johannes Lubin, Dan Russell, Lynn M. Jenkinson, Colin Powers, Heath H. Ryczek, Maciej Stone, Gregory Wille, Jonathan D. January 2016 extensive summer melt in West Antarctica favoured by strong El Niño |
topic_facet |
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES |
description |
Over the past two decades the primary driver of mass loss from the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) has been warm ocean water underneath coastal ice shelves, not a warmer atmosphere. Yet, surface melt occurs sporadically over low-lying areas of the WAIS and is not fully understood. Here we report on an episode of extensive and prolonged surface melting observed in the Ross Sea sector of the WAIS in January 2016. A comprehensive cloud and radiation experiment at the WAIS ice divide, downwind of the melt region, provided detailed insight into the physical processes at play during the event. The unusual extent and duration of the melting are linked to strong and sustained advection of warm marine air toward the area, likely favoured by the concurrent strong El Niño event. Finally, the increase in the number of extreme El Niño events projected for the twenty-first century could expose the WAIS to more frequent major melt events. |
author |
Nicolas, Julien P. Vogelmann, Andrew M. Scott, Ryan C. Wilson, Aaron B. Cadeddu, Maria P. Bromwich, David H. Verlinde, Johannes Lubin, Dan Russell, Lynn M. Jenkinson, Colin Powers, Heath H. Ryczek, Maciej Stone, Gregory Wille, Jonathan D. |
author_facet |
Nicolas, Julien P. Vogelmann, Andrew M. Scott, Ryan C. Wilson, Aaron B. Cadeddu, Maria P. Bromwich, David H. Verlinde, Johannes Lubin, Dan Russell, Lynn M. Jenkinson, Colin Powers, Heath H. Ryczek, Maciej Stone, Gregory Wille, Jonathan D. |
author_sort |
Nicolas, Julien P. |
title |
January 2016 extensive summer melt in West Antarctica favoured by strong El Niño |
title_short |
January 2016 extensive summer melt in West Antarctica favoured by strong El Niño |
title_full |
January 2016 extensive summer melt in West Antarctica favoured by strong El Niño |
title_fullStr |
January 2016 extensive summer melt in West Antarctica favoured by strong El Niño |
title_full_unstemmed |
January 2016 extensive summer melt in West Antarctica favoured by strong El Niño |
title_sort |
january 2016 extensive summer melt in west antarctica favoured by strong el niño |
publishDate |
2024 |
url |
http://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1368678 https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1368678 https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms15799 |
geographic |
Antarctic Ross Sea West Antarctica West Antarctic Ice Sheet |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic Ross Sea West Antarctica West Antarctic Ice Sheet |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Ice Sheet Ice Shelves Ross Sea West Antarctica |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Ice Sheet Ice Shelves Ross Sea West Antarctica |
op_relation |
http://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1368678 https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1368678 https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms15799 doi:10.1038/ncomms15799 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms15799 |
container_title |
Nature Communications |
container_volume |
8 |
container_issue |
1 |
_version_ |
1790593529769099264 |