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| Titel |
Impacts of marine instability across the East Antarctic Ice Sheet on Southern Ocean dynamics |
| VerfasserIn |
Steven Phipps, Christopher Fogwill, Christian Turney |
| Konferenz |
EGU General Assembly 2017
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| Medientyp |
Artikel
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| Sprache |
en
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| Digitales Dokument |
PDF |
| Erschienen |
In: GRA - Volume 19 (2017) |
| Datensatznummer |
250147170
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| Publikation (Nr.) |
 EGU/EGU2017-11288.pdf |
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| Zusammenfassung |
| 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 formation. The surface ocean
cools but, critically, the Southern Ocean warms by more than 1oC at depth. This
warming is accompanied by a Southern Oceanwide “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. |
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