Persistent warm-eddy transport to Antarctic ice shelves driven by enhanced summer westerlies

Libao Gao (), Xiaojun Yuan, Wenju Cai (), Guijun Guo, Weidong Yu, Jiuxin Shi, Fangli Qiao, Zexun Wei and Guy D. Williams
Additional contact information
Libao Gao: Ministry of Natural Resources
Xiaojun Yuan: Columbia University
Wenju Cai: Laoshan Laboratory
Guijun Guo: Ministry of Natural Resources
Weidong Yu: Laoshan Laboratory
Jiuxin Shi: Laoshan Laboratory
Fangli Qiao: Ministry of Natural Resources
Zexun Wei: Ministry of Natural Resources
Guy D. Williams: Ministry of Natural Resources

Nature Communications, 2024, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-12

Abstract: Abstract The offshore ocean heat supplied to the Antarctic continental shelves by warm eddies has the potential to greatly impact the melting rates of ice shelves and subsequent global sea level rise. While featured in modeling and some observational studies, the processes around how these warm eddies form and overcome the dynamic sub-surface barrier of the Antarctic Slope Front over the upper continental slope has not yet been clarified. Here we report on the detailed observations of persistent eddies carrying warm modified Circumpolar Deep Water (CDW) onto the continental shelf of Prydz Bay, East Antarctica, using subsurface mooring and hydrographic section data from 2013-2015. We show the warm-eddy transport is most active when the summer westerlies strengthen, which promotes the upwelling of CDW and initiates eddy formation and intrusions. Our study highlights the important role of warm eddies in the melting of Antarctica’s ice shelves, both now and into the future.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45010-x

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