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East Antarctic warming forced by ice loss during the Last Interglacial

Author

Listed:
  • David K. Hutchinson

    (University of New South Wales
    University of New South Wales)

  • Laurie Menviel

    (University of New South Wales
    University of New South Wales)

  • Katrin J. Meissner

    (University of New South Wales
    University of New South Wales)

  • Andrew McC. Hogg

    (University of New South Wales
    Australian National University)

Abstract

During the Last Interglacial (LIG; 129-116 thousand years before present), the Antarctic ice sheet (AIS) was 1 to 7 m sea level equivalent smaller than at pre-industrial. Here, we assess the climatic impact of partial AIS melting at the LIG by forcing a coupled climate model with a smaller AIS and the equivalent meltwater input around the Antarctic coast. We find that changes in surface elevation induce surface warming over East Antarctica of 2 to 4 °C, and sea surface temperature (SST) increases in the Weddell and Ross Seas by up to 2 °C. Meltwater forcing causes a high latitude SST decrease and a subsurface (100–500 m) ocean temperature increase by up to 2 °C in the Ross Sea. Our results suggest that the combination of a smaller AIS and enhanced meltwater input leads to a larger sub-surface warming than meltwater alone and induces further Antarctic warming than each perturbation separately.

Suggested Citation

  • David K. Hutchinson & Laurie Menviel & Katrin J. Meissner & Andrew McC. Hogg, 2024. "East Antarctic warming forced by ice loss during the Last Interglacial," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-11, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:15:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-024-45501-x
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45501-x
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