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Winter thermohaline evolution along and below the Ross Ice Shelf

Author

Listed:
  • Pierpaolo Falco

    (Università Politecnica delle Marche and Consorzio Nazionale Interuniversitario per le Scienze del Mare)

  • Naomi Krauzig

    (Università Politecnica delle Marche and Consorzio Nazionale Interuniversitario per le Scienze del Mare)

  • Pasquale Castagno

    (Università degli Studi di Messina)

  • Angela Garzia

    (Università Politecnica delle Marche and Consorzio Nazionale Interuniversitario per le Scienze del Mare
    Sapienza Università di Roma)

  • Riccardo Martellucci

    (Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica Sperimentale – OGS)

  • Yuri Cotroneo

    (Università degli Studi di Napoli “Parthenope” and Consorzio Nazionale Interuniversitario per le Scienze del Mare)

  • Daniela Flocco

    (Università degli Studi di Napoli “Federico II”)

  • Milena Menna

    (Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica Sperimentale – OGS)

  • Annunziata Pirro

    (Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica Sperimentale – OGS)

  • Elena Mauri

    (Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica Sperimentale – OGS)

  • Francesco Memmola

    (Università Politecnica delle Marche and Consorzio Nazionale Interuniversitario per le Scienze del Mare)

  • Cosimo Solidoro

    (Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica Sperimentale – OGS)

  • Massimo Pacciaroni

    (Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica Sperimentale – OGS)

  • Giulio Notarstefano

    (Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica Sperimentale – OGS)

  • Giorgio Budillon

    (Università degli Studi di Napoli “Parthenope” and Consorzio Nazionale Interuniversitario per le Scienze del Mare)

  • Enrico Zambianchi

    (Università degli Studi di Napoli “Parthenope” and Consorzio Nazionale Interuniversitario per le Scienze del Mare)

Abstract

The Ross Ice Shelf floats above the southern sector of the Ross Sea and creates a cavity where critical ocean-ice interactions take place. Crucial processes occurring in this cavity include the formation of Ice Shelf Water, the coldest ocean water, and the intrusion of Antarctic Surface Water, the main driver of frontal and basal melting. During the winter, a polynya forms along the Ross Ice Shelf edge, producing a precursor to Antarctic Bottom Water known as High Salinity Shelf Water. Due to the difficulty of direct exploration of the Ross Ice Shelf in the winter, processes occurring there have been only hypothesized to date. Here we show thermohaline observations collected along the Ross Ice Shelf front from 2020 to 2023 using unconventionally programmed Argo floats. These measurements provide year-round observations of water column changes in and around the Ross Ice Shelf cavity, allowing to quantify production of High Salinity Shelf Water, ocean heat content and basal melt rates.

Suggested Citation

  • Pierpaolo Falco & Naomi Krauzig & Pasquale Castagno & Angela Garzia & Riccardo Martellucci & Yuri Cotroneo & Daniela Flocco & Milena Menna & Annunziata Pirro & Elena Mauri & Francesco Memmola & Cosimo, 2024. "Winter thermohaline evolution along and below the Ross Ice Shelf," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-10, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:15:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-024-54751-8
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-54751-8
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Pasquale Castagno & Vincenzo Capozzi & Giacomo R. DiTullio & Pierpaolo Falco & Giannetta Fusco & Stephen R. Rintoul & Giancarlo Spezie & Giorgio Budillon, 2019. "Rebound of shelf water salinity in the Ross Sea," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 10(1), pages 1-6, December.
    2. T. Naish & R. Powell & R. Levy & G. Wilson & R. Scherer & F. Talarico & L. Krissek & F. Niessen & M. Pompilio & T. Wilson & L. Carter & R. DeConto & P. Huybers & R. McKay & D. Pollard & J. Ross & D. W, 2009. "Obliquity-paced Pliocene West Antarctic ice sheet oscillations," Nature, Nature, vol. 458(7236), pages 322-328, March.
    3. Una Kim Miller & Christopher J. Zappa & Arnold L. Gordon & Seung-Tae Yoon & Craig Stevens & Won Sang Lee, 2024. "High Salinity Shelf Water production rates in Terra Nova Bay, Ross Sea from high-resolution salinity observations," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-13, December.
    4. Kaitlin A. Naughten & Paul R. Holland & Jan Rydt, 2023. "Unavoidable future increase in West Antarctic ice-shelf melting over the twenty-first century," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 13(11), pages 1222-1228, November.
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