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Evidence for large-scale climate forcing of dense shelf water variability in the Ross Sea

Zhaoru Zhang (), Chuan Xie, Pasquale Castagno, Matthew H. England, Xiaoqiao Wang, Michael S. Dinniman, Alessandro Silvano, Chuning Wang, Lei Zhou, Xichen Li, Meng Zhou and Giorgio Budillon
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Zhaoru Zhang: Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Chuan Xie: Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Pasquale Castagno: University of Messina
Matthew H. England: University of New South Wales
Xiaoqiao Wang: Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Michael S. Dinniman: Old Dominion University
Alessandro Silvano: National Oceanography Centre, University of Southampton
Chuning Wang: Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Lei Zhou: Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Xichen Li: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Meng Zhou: Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Giorgio Budillon: Parthenope University

Nature Communications, 2024, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-13

Abstract: Abstract Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW), which supplies the lower limb of the thermohaline circulation, originates from dense shelf water (DSW) forming in Antarctic polynyas. Here, combining a long mooring record of DSW measurements with numerical simulations and satellite data, we show that significant correlation exists between interannual variability of DSW production in the Ross Sea polynyas, where DSW contributes between 20–40% of the global AABW production, and the Southern Annular Mode (SAM). The correlation is largest when the Amundsen Sea Low (ASL) is weakened and shifted east of the Ross Sea. During positive SAM phases, enhanced offshore winds and lower air temperatures over the western Ross Sea increase sea ice production and promote DSW formation, with the opposite response during negative SAM phases. These processes ultimately modulate AABW thickness in the open ocean. A projected positive shift of the SAM and eastward displacement of the ASL thus has implications for the future of DSW and AABW formation.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-52524-x

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