Hydrography and circulation below Fimbulisen Ice Shelf, East Antarctica, from 14 years of moored observations
<p>Future mass loss from the East Antarctic Ice Sheet represents a major uncertainty in projections of future sea level rise. Recent studies have highlighted the potential vulnerability of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet to atmospheric and oceanic changes, but long-term observations inside the ic...
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Copernicus Publications
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Ocean Science |
| Online Access: | https://os.copernicus.org/articles/20/1585/2024/os-20-1585-2024.pdf |
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| author | J. Lauber J. Lauber T. Hattermann L. de Steur E. Darelius E. Darelius A. Fransson |
| author_facet | J. Lauber J. Lauber T. Hattermann L. de Steur E. Darelius E. Darelius A. Fransson |
| author_sort | J. Lauber |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <p>Future mass loss from the East Antarctic Ice Sheet represents a major uncertainty in projections of future sea level rise. Recent studies have highlighted the potential vulnerability of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet to atmospheric and oceanic changes, but long-term observations inside the ice shelf cavities are rare. Here, we present new insights from observations from three oceanic moorings below Fimbulisen Ice Shelf from 2009 to 2023. We examine the characteristics of intrusions of modified Warm Deep Water (mWDW) across a sill connecting the cavity to the open ocean and investigate seasonal variability of the circulation and water masses inside the cavity using an optimum multiparameter analysis. In autumn, the water below the 345 m deep central part of the ice shelf is composed of up to 30 % solar-heated, buoyant Antarctic Surface Water (ASW), separating colder Ice Shelf Water from the ice base and affecting the cavity circulation on seasonal timescales. At depth, the occurrence of mWDW is associated with the advection of cyclonic eddies across the sill into the cavity. These eddies reach up to the ice base. The warm intrusions are observed most often from January to March and from September to November, and traces of mWDW-derived meltwater close to the ice base imply an overturning of these warm intrusions inside the cavity. We suggest that this timing is set by both the offshore thermocline depth and the interactions of the Antarctic Slope Current with the ice shelf topography over the continental slope. Our findings provide a better understanding of the interplay between shallow inflows of ASW contributions and deep inflows of mWDW for basal melting at Fimbulisen Ice Shelf, with implications for the potential vulnerability of the ice shelf to climate change.</p> |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-a3dd4adb53cf4490934f49bf45e3e85e |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1812-0784 1812-0792 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | Copernicus Publications |
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| series | Ocean Science |
| spelling | doaj-art-a3dd4adb53cf4490934f49bf45e3e85e2024-12-04T12:15:19ZengCopernicus PublicationsOcean Science1812-07841812-07922024-12-01201585161010.5194/os-20-1585-2024Hydrography and circulation below Fimbulisen Ice Shelf, East Antarctica, from 14 years of moored observationsJ. Lauber0J. Lauber1T. Hattermann2L. de Steur3E. Darelius4E. Darelius5A. Fransson6Oceanography section, Norwegian Polar Institute, Tromsø, NorwayGeophysical Institute, University of Bergen, Bergen, NorwayOceanography section, Norwegian Polar Institute, Tromsø, NorwayOceanography section, Norwegian Polar Institute, Tromsø, NorwayGeophysical Institute, University of Bergen, Bergen, NorwayBjerknes Centre for Climate Research, Bergen, NorwayOceanography section, Norwegian Polar Institute, Tromsø, Norway<p>Future mass loss from the East Antarctic Ice Sheet represents a major uncertainty in projections of future sea level rise. Recent studies have highlighted the potential vulnerability of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet to atmospheric and oceanic changes, but long-term observations inside the ice shelf cavities are rare. Here, we present new insights from observations from three oceanic moorings below Fimbulisen Ice Shelf from 2009 to 2023. We examine the characteristics of intrusions of modified Warm Deep Water (mWDW) across a sill connecting the cavity to the open ocean and investigate seasonal variability of the circulation and water masses inside the cavity using an optimum multiparameter analysis. In autumn, the water below the 345 m deep central part of the ice shelf is composed of up to 30 % solar-heated, buoyant Antarctic Surface Water (ASW), separating colder Ice Shelf Water from the ice base and affecting the cavity circulation on seasonal timescales. At depth, the occurrence of mWDW is associated with the advection of cyclonic eddies across the sill into the cavity. These eddies reach up to the ice base. The warm intrusions are observed most often from January to March and from September to November, and traces of mWDW-derived meltwater close to the ice base imply an overturning of these warm intrusions inside the cavity. We suggest that this timing is set by both the offshore thermocline depth and the interactions of the Antarctic Slope Current with the ice shelf topography over the continental slope. Our findings provide a better understanding of the interplay between shallow inflows of ASW contributions and deep inflows of mWDW for basal melting at Fimbulisen Ice Shelf, with implications for the potential vulnerability of the ice shelf to climate change.</p>https://os.copernicus.org/articles/20/1585/2024/os-20-1585-2024.pdf |
| spellingShingle | J. Lauber J. Lauber T. Hattermann L. de Steur E. Darelius E. Darelius A. Fransson Hydrography and circulation below Fimbulisen Ice Shelf, East Antarctica, from 14 years of moored observations Ocean Science |
| title | Hydrography and circulation below Fimbulisen Ice Shelf, East Antarctica, from 14 years of moored observations |
| title_full | Hydrography and circulation below Fimbulisen Ice Shelf, East Antarctica, from 14 years of moored observations |
| title_fullStr | Hydrography and circulation below Fimbulisen Ice Shelf, East Antarctica, from 14 years of moored observations |
| title_full_unstemmed | Hydrography and circulation below Fimbulisen Ice Shelf, East Antarctica, from 14 years of moored observations |
| title_short | Hydrography and circulation below Fimbulisen Ice Shelf, East Antarctica, from 14 years of moored observations |
| title_sort | hydrography and circulation below fimbulisen ice shelf east antarctica from 14 years of moored observations |
| url | https://os.copernicus.org/articles/20/1585/2024/os-20-1585-2024.pdf |
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