Regional changes in icescape impact shelf circulation and basal melting

Ice shelf basal melt is the dominant contribution to mass loss from Antarctic ice shelves. However, the sensitivity of basal melt to changes in icescape (grounded icebergs, ice shelves and sea ice) and related ocean circulation is poorly understood. Here, we simulate the impact of the major 2010 cal...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Geophysical Research Letters
Main Authors: Cougnon, EA, Galton-Fenzi, BK, Rintoul, SR, Legresy, B, Williams, GD, Fraser, AD, Hunter, JR
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Amer Geophysical Union 2017
Subjects:
ocean-ice shelf interactions
Mertz Glacier
Antarctica
regional icescape changes
iceberg
calving
Antarctic
East Antarctica
Mertz Glacier Tongue
Antarc*
Ice Shelf
Ice Shelves
Iceberg*
Sea ice
Online Access:https://eprints.utas.edu.au/25978/
https://eprints.utas.edu.au/25978/1/122422%20final.pdf
https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GL074943
Description
Summary:Ice shelf basal melt is the dominant contribution to mass loss from Antarctic ice shelves. However, the sensitivity of basal melt to changes in icescape (grounded icebergs, ice shelves and sea ice) and related ocean circulation is poorly understood. Here, we simulate the impact of the major 2010 calving event of the Mertz Glacier Tongue (MGT), East Antarctica, and related redistribution of sea ice and icebergs on the basal melt rate of the local ice shelves. We find that the position of the grounded tabular iceberg B9B controls the water masses that reach the nearby ice shelf cavities. After the calving of the MGT and the removal of B9B, warmer water is present both within the MGT cavity and on the continental shelf driving a 57% increase of the deep MGT basal melting. Major changes in icescape influence the oceanic heat flux responsible for basal ice shelf melting.

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