Southern ocean controls on current ice shelf evolution. Annual progress report, September 1, 1993--August 31, 1994

A seasonal cycle of shelf water temperatures and salinities observed at the eastern Ross Ice Shelf edge was used to force a two-dimensional thermohaline circulation model adapted to two different sub-ice cavity paths around Roosevelt Island. Model results verified by current meter measurements revea...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Hellmer, H. H., Jacobs, S. S.
Other Authors: United States. Department of Energy.
Format: Report
Language:English
Published: Columbia Univ., Palisades, NY (United States). Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory 1994
Subjects:
Surface Waters
Oceanic Circulation
Boreholes
Seasonal Variations
Environmental Impacts
Progress Report
Salinity 540310
Climatic Change
Ice Caps
Basic Studies
54 Environmental Sciences
General Circulation Models
Roosevelt Island
Ross Ice Shelf
Siple
Siple Coast
Southern Ocean
Ice Shelf
Ice Shelves
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.2172/10173336
https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1340743/
Description
Summary:A seasonal cycle of shelf water temperatures and salinities observed at the eastern Ross Ice Shelf edge was used to force a two-dimensional thermohaline circulation model adapted to two different sub-ice cavity paths around Roosevelt Island. Model results verified by current meter measurements reveal that shelf water flowing into the cavity west of Roosevelt Island might follow a sub-ice path with nearly constant water column thickness of 200 m. This would largely exclude the grounding line of the northern Siple Coast from the contact with open ocean water masses. In contrast to the forcing with time-independent summer profiles, seasonal forcing causes a higher spatial and temporal variability of the cavity`s circulation and property distribution. At the model`s open boundaries the intermitted inflow of shelf water displaces the meltwater outflow originating from the interior ice shelf base to greater depth and initiates an additional shallow meltwater plume. The average melting along the ice shelf base increases from 0.07 m/a to 0.38.m/a due to seasonality in shelf water characteristics, and to 2.3 m/a, if we introduce a 100-year temperature rise of 1{degree}C. The rate decreases, if salinity simultanously decreases; a possible scenario, if the enhanced meltwater outflow mixes with shelf water in front of the ice shelves.

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