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Poleward shift of Circumpolar Deep Water threatens the East Antarctic Ice Sheet

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  • Laura Herraiz-Borreguero

    (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization Oceans and Atmosphere and Centre for Southern Hemisphere Oceans Research
    University of Tasmania)

  • Alberto C. Naveira Garabato

    (University of Southampton)

Abstract

Future sea-level rise projections carry large uncertainties, mainly driven by the unknown response of the Antarctic Ice Sheet to climate change. During the past four decades, the contribution of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet to sea-level rise has increased. However, unlike for West Antarctica, the causes of East Antarctic ice-mass loss are largely unexplored. Here, using oceanographic observations off East Antarctica (80–160° E) we show that mid-depth Circumpolar Deep Water has warmed by 0.8–2.0 °C along the continental slope between 1930–1990 and 2010–2018. Our results indicate that this warming may be implicated in East Antarctic ice-mass loss and coastal water-mass reorganization. Further, it is associated with an interdecadal, summer-focused poleward shift of the westerlies over the Southern Ocean. Since this shift is predicted to persist into the twenty-first century, the oceanic heat supply to East Antarctica may continue to intensify, threatening the ice sheet’s future stability.

Suggested Citation

  • Laura Herraiz-Borreguero & Alberto C. Naveira Garabato, 2022. "Poleward shift of Circumpolar Deep Water threatens the East Antarctic Ice Sheet," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 12(8), pages 728-734, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcli:v:12:y:2022:i:8:d:10.1038_s41558-022-01424-3
    DOI: 10.1038/s41558-022-01424-3
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    Cited by:

    1. James R. Jordan & B. W. J. Miles & G. H. Gudmundsson & S. S. R. Jamieson & A. Jenkins & C. R. Stokes, 2023. "Increased warm water intrusions could cause mass loss in East Antarctica during the next 200 years," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-11, December.
    2. Daisuke Hirano & Takeshi Tamura & Kazuya Kusahara & Masakazu Fujii & Kaihe Yamazaki & Yoshihiro Nakayama & Kazuya Ono & Takuya Itaki & Yuichi Aoyama & Daisuke Simizu & Kohei Mizobata & Kay I. Ohshima , 2023. "On-shelf circulation of warm water toward the Totten Ice Shelf in East Antarctica," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-15, December.
    3. Tao Li & Laura F. Robinson & Graeme A. MacGilchrist & Tianyu Chen & Joseph A. Stewart & Andrea Burke & Maoyu Wang & Gaojun Li & Jun Chen & James W. B. Rae, 2023. "Enhanced subglacial discharge from Antarctica during meltwater pulse 1A," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-10, December.

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