Impacts of marine instability across the East Antarctic Ice Sheet on Southern Ocean dynamics
Recent observations and modelling studies have demonstrated the potential for rapid and substantial retreat of large sectors of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS). This has major implications for ocean circulation and global sea level. Here we examine the effects of increasing meltwater from the Wi...
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European Geosciences Union (EGU)
2016
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Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1959.4/unsworks_41367 https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-2317-2016 |
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ftunswworks:oai:unsworks.library.unsw.edu.au:1959.4/unsworks_41367 2024-05-12T07:53:28+00:00 Impacts of marine instability across the East Antarctic Ice Sheet on Southern Ocean dynamics Phipps, SJ Fogwill, CJ Turney, C 2016-09-30 http://hdl.handle.net/1959.4/unsworks_41367 https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-2317-2016 unknown European Geosciences Union (EGU) http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/FL100100195 http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/FT120100004 http://www.the-cryosphere.net/10/2317/2016/ http://hdl.handle.net/1959.4/unsworks_41367 https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-2317-2016 metadata only access http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_14cb CC-BY-NC-ND https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ urn:ISSN:1994-0424 The Cryosphere, 10, 5, 2317-2328 14 Life Below Water 13 Climate Action anzsrc-for: 0405 Oceanography anzsrc-for: 0406 Physical Geography and Environmental Geoscience journal article http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501 2016 ftunswworks https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-2317-2016 2024-04-17T15:51:41Z Recent observations and modelling studies have demonstrated the potential for rapid and substantial retreat of large sectors of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS). This has major implications for ocean circulation and global sea level. Here we examine the effects of increasing meltwater from the Wilkes Basin, one of the major marine-based sectors of the EAIS, on Southern Ocean dynamics. Climate model simulations reveal that the meltwater flux rapidly stratifies surface waters, leading to a dramatic decrease in the rate of Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW) formation. The surface ocean cools but, critically, the Southern Ocean warms by more than 1 ◦C at depth. This warming is accompanied by a Southern Ocean- wide “domino effect”, whereby the warming signal propagates westward with depth. Our results suggest that melting of one sector of the EAIS could result in accelerated warming across other sectors, including the Weddell Sea sector of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. Thus, localised melting of the EAIS could potentially destabilise the wider Antarctic Ice Sheet. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Ice Sheet Southern Ocean The Cryosphere Weddell Sea UNSW Sydney (The University of New South Wales): UNSWorks Antarctic Southern Ocean Weddell Sea West Antarctic Ice Sheet East Antarctic Ice Sheet Weddell The Cryosphere 10 5 2317 2328 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
UNSW Sydney (The University of New South Wales): UNSWorks |
op_collection_id |
ftunswworks |
language |
unknown |
topic |
14 Life Below Water 13 Climate Action anzsrc-for: 0405 Oceanography anzsrc-for: 0406 Physical Geography and Environmental Geoscience |
spellingShingle |
14 Life Below Water 13 Climate Action anzsrc-for: 0405 Oceanography anzsrc-for: 0406 Physical Geography and Environmental Geoscience Phipps, SJ Fogwill, CJ Turney, C Impacts of marine instability across the East Antarctic Ice Sheet on Southern Ocean dynamics |
topic_facet |
14 Life Below Water 13 Climate Action anzsrc-for: 0405 Oceanography anzsrc-for: 0406 Physical Geography and Environmental Geoscience |
description |
Recent observations and modelling studies have demonstrated the potential for rapid and substantial retreat of large sectors of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS). This has major implications for ocean circulation and global sea level. Here we examine the effects of increasing meltwater from the Wilkes Basin, one of the major marine-based sectors of the EAIS, on Southern Ocean dynamics. Climate model simulations reveal that the meltwater flux rapidly stratifies surface waters, leading to a dramatic decrease in the rate of Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW) formation. The surface ocean cools but, critically, the Southern Ocean warms by more than 1 ◦C at depth. This warming is accompanied by a Southern Ocean- wide “domino effect”, whereby the warming signal propagates westward with depth. Our results suggest that melting of one sector of the EAIS could result in accelerated warming across other sectors, including the Weddell Sea sector of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. Thus, localised melting of the EAIS could potentially destabilise the wider Antarctic Ice Sheet. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Phipps, SJ Fogwill, CJ Turney, C |
author_facet |
Phipps, SJ Fogwill, CJ Turney, C |
author_sort |
Phipps, SJ |
title |
Impacts of marine instability across the East Antarctic Ice Sheet on Southern Ocean dynamics |
title_short |
Impacts of marine instability across the East Antarctic Ice Sheet on Southern Ocean dynamics |
title_full |
Impacts of marine instability across the East Antarctic Ice Sheet on Southern Ocean dynamics |
title_fullStr |
Impacts of marine instability across the East Antarctic Ice Sheet on Southern Ocean dynamics |
title_full_unstemmed |
Impacts of marine instability across the East Antarctic Ice Sheet on Southern Ocean dynamics |
title_sort |
impacts of marine instability across the east antarctic ice sheet on southern ocean dynamics |
publisher |
European Geosciences Union (EGU) |
publishDate |
2016 |
url |
http://hdl.handle.net/1959.4/unsworks_41367 https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-2317-2016 |
geographic |
Antarctic Southern Ocean Weddell Sea West Antarctic Ice Sheet East Antarctic Ice Sheet Weddell |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic Southern Ocean Weddell Sea West Antarctic Ice Sheet East Antarctic Ice Sheet Weddell |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Ice Sheet Southern Ocean The Cryosphere Weddell Sea |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Ice Sheet Southern Ocean The Cryosphere Weddell Sea |
op_source |
urn:ISSN:1994-0424 The Cryosphere, 10, 5, 2317-2328 |
op_relation |
http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/FL100100195 http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/FT120100004 http://www.the-cryosphere.net/10/2317/2016/ http://hdl.handle.net/1959.4/unsworks_41367 https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-2317-2016 |
op_rights |
metadata only access http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_14cb CC-BY-NC-ND https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-2317-2016 |
container_title |
The Cryosphere |
container_volume |
10 |
container_issue |
5 |
container_start_page |
2317 |
op_container_end_page |
2328 |
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1798842797889945600 |