The future of floating Antarctic ice shelves is one of the principal uncertainties surrounding projections of future sea level rise. Melting of Antarctic ice shelves is caused by relatively warm and salty Circumpolar Deep Water currents upwelling from the ocean depth.
A recent article co-authored by Dr Ali Mashayek classifies near-shelf water masses using an eddy-resolving numerical model of the Southern Ocean, to develop a unified view of warm water intrusions onto the Antarctic continental shelf. The paper identifies four regimes on seasonal timescales, with different regions of the Antarctic ice shelf experiencing warm water intrusion at different times of the year.
The article highlights that there are three primary factors controlling the Circumpolar Deep Water intrusions onto the ice shelf: wind forcing, buoyancy forcing, and bathymetric configuration. The four regimes are a result of a complex interplay between these three factors.
The article has been published by Communications Earth and Environment, and is available here.