Work

Seasonal regimes of warm Circumpolar Deep Water intrusion toward Antarctic ice shelves

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Basal melting of Antarctic ice shelves is primarily driven by heat delivery from warm Circumpolar Deep Water. Here we classify near-shelf water masses in an eddy-resolving numerical model of the Southern Ocean to develop a unified view of warm water intrusion onto the Antarctic continental shelf. We identify four regimes on seasonal timescales. In regime 1 (East Antarctica), heat intrusions are driven by easterly winds via Ekman dynamics. In regime 2 (West Antarctica), intrusion is primarily determined by the strength of a shelf-break undercurrent. In regime 3, the warm water cycle on the shelf is in antiphase with dense shelf water production (Adélie Coast). Finally, in regime 4 (Weddell and Ross seas), shelf-ward warm water inflow occurs along the western edge of canyons during periods of dense shelf water outflow. Our results advocate for a reformulation of the traditional annual-mean regime classification of the Antarctic continental shelf.

Source: Communications Earth & Environment

DOI: 10.1038/s43247-025-02091-w

Authors: Joshua Lanham, Matthew Mazloff, Alberto C. Naveira Garabato, Martin Siegert, Ali Mashayek

Institutions: University of Cambridge, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, National Oceanography Centre, University of Southampton, University of Exeter

Language: English

Topic: Oceanographic and Atmospheric Processes

Subfield: Oceanography

Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Life below water, Climate action

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,490