Effects of an Explosive Polar Cyclone Crossing the Antarctic Marginal Ice Zone
Antarctic sea ice shows a large degree of regional variability, which is partly driven by severe weather events. Here we bring a new perspective on synoptic sea ice changes by presenting the first in situ observations of an explosive extratropical cyclone crossing the winter Antarctic marginal ice z...
Published in: | Geophysical Research Letters |
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Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Uppsala universitet, Luft-, vatten- och landskapslära
2019
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Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-392884 https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GL082457 |
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ftuppsalauniv:oai:DiVA.org:uu-392884 |
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Open Polar |
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Uppsala University: Publications (DiVA) |
op_collection_id |
ftuppsalauniv |
language |
English |
topic |
Oceanography Hydrology and Water Resources Oceanografi hydrologi och vattenresurser |
spellingShingle |
Oceanography Hydrology and Water Resources Oceanografi hydrologi och vattenresurser Vichi, Marcello Eayrs, Clare Alberello, Alberto Bekker, Anriette Bennetts, Luke Holland, David de Jong, Ehlke Joubert, Warren MacHutchon, Keith Messori, Gabriele Mojica, Jhon F. Onorato, Miguel Saunders, Clinton Skatulla, Sebastian Toffoli, Alessandro Effects of an Explosive Polar Cyclone Crossing the Antarctic Marginal Ice Zone |
topic_facet |
Oceanography Hydrology and Water Resources Oceanografi hydrologi och vattenresurser |
description |
Antarctic sea ice shows a large degree of regional variability, which is partly driven by severe weather events. Here we bring a new perspective on synoptic sea ice changes by presenting the first in situ observations of an explosive extratropical cyclone crossing the winter Antarctic marginal ice zone (MIZ) in the South Atlantic. This is complemented by the analysis of subsequent cyclones and highlights the rapid variations that ice-landing cyclones cause on sea ice: Midlatitude warm oceanic air is advected onto the ice, and storm waves generated close to the ice edge contribute to the maintenance of an unconsolidated surface through which waves propagate far into the ice. MIZ features may thus extend further poleward in the Southern Ocean than currently estimated. A concentration-based MIZ definition is inadequate, since it fails to describe a sea ice configuration which is deeply rearranged by synoptic weather. Plain Language Summary The extent of Antarctic sea ice is characterized by large regional variations that are in stark contrast with the alarming decreasing trends found in the Arctic. This is partly due to the presence of severe weather events, like extratropical cyclones travelling through the Southern Ocean and reaching the marginal ice zone (MIZ). The MIZ is a region where the ocean, atmosphere, and sea ice processes are closely interlinked. We provide direct evidence of how winter polar cyclones rearrange the MIZ and how their effects extend into the ice-covered region as far as the Antarctic continent. We present the first observations of large ice drift, ice concentration, and temperature changes as an explosively deepening cyclone crosses the MIZ. This case study is complemented by analysis of subsequent but more frequent storms that confirms how storminess in the Southern Ocean maintains a sea ice surface that is less compact, more mobile, and more extended than previously anticipated. Our results urge the scientific community to revise the current definition of the MIZ and improve its ... |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Vichi, Marcello Eayrs, Clare Alberello, Alberto Bekker, Anriette Bennetts, Luke Holland, David de Jong, Ehlke Joubert, Warren MacHutchon, Keith Messori, Gabriele Mojica, Jhon F. Onorato, Miguel Saunders, Clinton Skatulla, Sebastian Toffoli, Alessandro |
author_facet |
Vichi, Marcello Eayrs, Clare Alberello, Alberto Bekker, Anriette Bennetts, Luke Holland, David de Jong, Ehlke Joubert, Warren MacHutchon, Keith Messori, Gabriele Mojica, Jhon F. Onorato, Miguel Saunders, Clinton Skatulla, Sebastian Toffoli, Alessandro |
author_sort |
Vichi, Marcello |
title |
Effects of an Explosive Polar Cyclone Crossing the Antarctic Marginal Ice Zone |
title_short |
Effects of an Explosive Polar Cyclone Crossing the Antarctic Marginal Ice Zone |
title_full |
Effects of an Explosive Polar Cyclone Crossing the Antarctic Marginal Ice Zone |
title_fullStr |
Effects of an Explosive Polar Cyclone Crossing the Antarctic Marginal Ice Zone |
title_full_unstemmed |
Effects of an Explosive Polar Cyclone Crossing the Antarctic Marginal Ice Zone |
title_sort |
effects of an explosive polar cyclone crossing the antarctic marginal ice zone |
publisher |
Uppsala universitet, Luft-, vatten- och landskapslära |
publishDate |
2019 |
url |
http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-392884 https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GL082457 |
geographic |
Antarctic Arctic Southern Ocean The Antarctic |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic Arctic Southern Ocean The Antarctic |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Arctic Sea ice Southern Ocean |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Arctic Sea ice Southern Ocean |
op_relation |
Geophysical Research Letters, 0094-8276, 2019, 46:11, s. 5948-5958 http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-392884 doi:10.1029/2019GL082457 ISI:000477616200035 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GL082457 |
container_title |
Geophysical Research Letters |
container_volume |
46 |
container_issue |
11 |
container_start_page |
5948 |
op_container_end_page |
5958 |
_version_ |
1766269527584145408 |
spelling |
ftuppsalauniv:oai:DiVA.org:uu-392884 2023-05-15T14:00:26+02:00 Effects of an Explosive Polar Cyclone Crossing the Antarctic Marginal Ice Zone Vichi, Marcello Eayrs, Clare Alberello, Alberto Bekker, Anriette Bennetts, Luke Holland, David de Jong, Ehlke Joubert, Warren MacHutchon, Keith Messori, Gabriele Mojica, Jhon F. Onorato, Miguel Saunders, Clinton Skatulla, Sebastian Toffoli, Alessandro 2019 application/pdf http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-392884 https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GL082457 eng eng Uppsala universitet, Luft-, vatten- och landskapslära Univ Cape Town, Dept Oceanog, Cape Town, South Africa;Univ Cape Town, Marine Res Inst, Cape Town, South Africa New York Univ Abu Dhabi, Ctr Global Sea Level Change, Abu Dhabi, U Arab Emirates Univ Adelaide, Sch Math Sci, Adelaide, SA, Australia;Univ Melbourne, Dept Infrastruct Engn, Parkville, Vic, Australia Stellenbosch Univ, Sound & Vibrat Res Grp, Dept Mech & Mechatron Engn, Stellenbosch, South Africa Univ Adelaide, Sch Math Sci, Adelaide, SA, Australia New York Univ Abu Dhabi, Ctr Global Sea Level Change, Abu Dhabi, U Arab Emirates;NYU, Courant Inst Math Sci, Ctr Atmosphere Ocean Sci, New York, NY USA Univ Cape Town, Dept Oceanog, Cape Town, South Africa South African Weather Serv, Pretoria, South Africa Univ Cape Town, Dept Civil Engn, Cape Town, South Africa Stockholm Univ, Dept Meteorol, Stockholm, Sweden;Stockholm Univ, Bolin Ctr Climate Res, Stockholm, Sweden Univ Torino, Dipartimento Fis, Turin, Italy;Ist Nazl Fis Nucl, Sez Torino, Turin, Italy Univ Melbourne, Dept Infrastruct Engn, Parkville, Vic, Australia AMER GEOPHYSICAL UNION Geophysical Research Letters, 0094-8276, 2019, 46:11, s. 5948-5958 http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-392884 doi:10.1029/2019GL082457 ISI:000477616200035 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess Oceanography Hydrology and Water Resources Oceanografi hydrologi och vattenresurser Article in journal info:eu-repo/semantics/article text 2019 ftuppsalauniv https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GL082457 2023-02-23T21:52:13Z Antarctic sea ice shows a large degree of regional variability, which is partly driven by severe weather events. Here we bring a new perspective on synoptic sea ice changes by presenting the first in situ observations of an explosive extratropical cyclone crossing the winter Antarctic marginal ice zone (MIZ) in the South Atlantic. This is complemented by the analysis of subsequent cyclones and highlights the rapid variations that ice-landing cyclones cause on sea ice: Midlatitude warm oceanic air is advected onto the ice, and storm waves generated close to the ice edge contribute to the maintenance of an unconsolidated surface through which waves propagate far into the ice. MIZ features may thus extend further poleward in the Southern Ocean than currently estimated. A concentration-based MIZ definition is inadequate, since it fails to describe a sea ice configuration which is deeply rearranged by synoptic weather. Plain Language Summary The extent of Antarctic sea ice is characterized by large regional variations that are in stark contrast with the alarming decreasing trends found in the Arctic. This is partly due to the presence of severe weather events, like extratropical cyclones travelling through the Southern Ocean and reaching the marginal ice zone (MIZ). The MIZ is a region where the ocean, atmosphere, and sea ice processes are closely interlinked. We provide direct evidence of how winter polar cyclones rearrange the MIZ and how their effects extend into the ice-covered region as far as the Antarctic continent. We present the first observations of large ice drift, ice concentration, and temperature changes as an explosively deepening cyclone crosses the MIZ. This case study is complemented by analysis of subsequent but more frequent storms that confirms how storminess in the Southern Ocean maintains a sea ice surface that is less compact, more mobile, and more extended than previously anticipated. Our results urge the scientific community to revise the current definition of the MIZ and improve its ... Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Arctic Sea ice Southern Ocean Uppsala University: Publications (DiVA) Antarctic Arctic Southern Ocean The Antarctic Geophysical Research Letters 46 11 5948 5958 |