The ice shelves—the marine-terminating glaciers of the Antarctic Ice Sheet—are melting, and it’s not just because of rising atmospheric temperatures. In a one-two punch, ice shelves in Antarctica are fighting a losing battle against rising temperatures both at the surface and under their body.
Called basal melting, oceanic heat and compression contribute to the phenomenon, but tides may play a bigger role than previously thought, according to a multi-institution research collaboration based in China. Based on observational data in Prydz Bay, which are the first made of tidal currents and their role in basal melting, the researchers found that tidal currents from the third largest bay in Antarctica may be responsible for up to 69% of basal melting on the Amery Ice Shelf.
The team published their findings on August 15 in Ocean-Land-Atmosphere Research.
“Tides play a key role in regulating the circulation and water properties around Antarctica, yet tidal currents and the corresponding influences in Prydz Bay have not been quantified with observational data sets,” said corresponding author Zhaomin Wang, professor in the Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai) in China.
“The Amery Ice Shelf Oceanographic Research experiment and the Chinese Antarctic Expedition provide long-term hydrography observations of 10 moorings over the continental shelf and six borehole sites drilled through the Amery Ice Shelf.”
2023-08-25 18:48:03
Link from phys.org rnrn