IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/natcom/v11y2020i1d10.1038_s41467-020-17527-4.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Strong ice-ocean interaction beneath Shirase Glacier Tongue in East Antarctica

Author

Listed:
  • Daisuke Hirano

    (Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University
    Arctic Research Center, Hokkaido University)

  • Takeshi Tamura

    (National Institute of Polar Research
    The Graduate University for Advanced Studies
    Antarctic Climate & Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre, University of Tasmania)

  • Kazuya Kusahara

    (Antarctic Climate & Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre, University of Tasmania
    Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology)

  • Kay I. Ohshima

    (Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University
    Arctic Research Center, Hokkaido University)

  • Keith W. Nicholls

    (British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council)

  • Shuki Ushio

    (National Institute of Polar Research
    The Graduate University for Advanced Studies)

  • Daisuke Simizu

    (National Institute of Polar Research)

  • Kazuya Ono

    (Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University)

  • Masakazu Fujii

    (National Institute of Polar Research
    The Graduate University for Advanced Studies)

  • Yoshifumi Nogi

    (National Institute of Polar Research
    The Graduate University for Advanced Studies)

  • Shigeru Aoki

    (Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University)

Abstract

Mass loss from the Antarctic ice sheet, Earth’s largest freshwater reservoir, results directly in global sea-level rise and Southern Ocean freshening. Observational and modeling studies have demonstrated that ice shelf basal melting, resulting from the inflow of warm water onto the Antarctic continental shelf, plays a key role in the ice sheet’s mass balance. In recent decades, warm ocean-cryosphere interaction in the Amundsen and Bellingshausen seas has received a great deal of attention. However, except for Totten Ice Shelf, East Antarctic ice shelves typically have cold ice cavities with low basal melt rates. Here we present direct observational evidence of high basal melt rates (7–16 m yr−1) beneath an East Antarctic ice shelf, Shirase Glacier Tongue, driven by southward-flowing warm water guided by a deep continuous trough extending to the continental slope. The strength of the alongshore wind controls the thickness of the inflowing warm water layer and the rate of basal melting.

Suggested Citation

  • Daisuke Hirano & Takeshi Tamura & Kazuya Kusahara & Kay I. Ohshima & Keith W. Nicholls & Shuki Ushio & Daisuke Simizu & Kazuya Ono & Masakazu Fujii & Yoshifumi Nogi & Shigeru Aoki, 2020. "Strong ice-ocean interaction beneath Shirase Glacier Tongue in East Antarctica," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 11(1), pages 1-12, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:11:y:2020:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-020-17527-4
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-17527-4
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-17527-4
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/s41467-020-17527-4?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. H. W. Yang & T.-W. Kim & Pierre Dutrieux & A. K. Wåhlin & Adrian Jenkins & H. K. Ha & C. S. Kim & K.-H. Cho & T. Park & S. H. Lee & Y.-K. Cho, 2022. "Seasonal variability of ocean circulation near the Dotson Ice Shelf, Antarctica," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-11, December.
    2. 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.
    3. 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.
    4. Eliza J. Dawson & Dustin M. Schroeder & Winnie Chu & Elisa Mantelli & Hélène Seroussi, 2022. "Ice mass loss sensitivity to the Antarctic ice sheet basal thermal state," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-9, December.
    5. Federica Donda & Michele Rebesco & Vedrana Kovacevic & Alessandro Silvano & Manuel Bensi & Laura Santis & Yair Rosenthal & Fiorenza Torricella & Luca Baradello & Davide Gei & Amy Leventer & Alix Post , 2024. "Footprint of sustained poleward warm water flow within East Antarctic submarine canyons," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-10, December.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:11:y:2020:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-020-17527-4. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.