Ocean forcing of glacier retreat in the western Antarctic Peninsula
In recent decades, hundreds of glaciers draining the Antarctic Peninsula (63° to 70°S) have undergone systematic and progressive change.These changes are widely attributed to rapid increases in regional surface air temperature, but it is now clear that this cannot be the sole driver. Here, we identi...
| Published in: | Science |
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2016
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://pure.uhi.ac.uk/en/publications/99962ac1-e969-43e7-b816-e13b3459b820 https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aae0017 http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84978374591&partnerID=8YFLogxK http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84978374591&partnerID=8YFLogxK |
| Summary: | In recent decades, hundreds of glaciers draining the Antarctic Peninsula (63° to 70°S) have undergone systematic and progressive change.These changes are widely attributed to rapid increases in regional surface air temperature, but it is now clear that this cannot be the sole driver. Here, we identify a strong correspondence between mid-depth ocean temperatures and glacier-front changes along the ∼1000-kilometer western coastline. In the south, glaciers that terminate in warm Circumpolar Deep Water have undergone considerable retreat, whereas those in the far northwest, which terminate in cooler waters, have not. Furthermore, amid-oceanwarming since the 1990s in the south is coincident with widespread acceleration of glacier retreat.We conclude that changes in ocean-induced melting are the primary cause of retreat for glaciers in this region. |
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