Show threadIvi Choc1d ago

#Antarctic #IceShelf #IceMelt #feedbackloop #WaterStratification

Original open access article

Suganuma et al. 07 Nov. 2025, Nat. Geosci.

Antarctic ice-shelf collapse in Holocene driven by meltwater release feedback

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-025-01829-7

#ClimateScience #climatechange #ClimateEmergency #ClimateCrisis #ClimateBreakdown #ClimateDisruption #globalWarming #globalHeating #ExtremeWeather

Ivi Choc1d ago

RE: https://mastodon.social/@paulbeckwith/115550068008392630

#FYI #PaulBeckwith video lecture and literature review #Antarctic #IceShelf #IceMelt #feedback #WaterStratification

15:31 "volume equivalent to 58 m of global sea level rise just in Antarctic ice sheet alone."
16:56 "we're always underestimating the speed at which things are happening"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkdXL_VUVCo

#climatechange #ClimateEmergency #ClimateBreakdown #ClimateDisruption #globalWarming #globalHeating #ExtremeWeather

Nicole SharpSep 9

Tides Widen Ice Cracks

When icebergs calve off of Arctic and Antarctic coastlines, it affects glacial flows upstream as well as local mixing between fresh- and seawater. A recent study points to ocean tides as a major factor in widening the ice cracks that lead to calving. The team built a simplified mathematical model of an ice shelf, taking into account the ice’s viscoelasticity, local tides, and winds. Then they compared the model’s predictions with satellite, GPS, and radar data of Antarctica’s Brunt Ice Shelf, where an iceberg the size of Greater London broke off in 2023.

Between their model and the observation data, the team was able to show that the crack that preceded calving consistently grew during the spring tides, when tidal forces were at their strongest. The work gives us one more clue for refining our predictions of when major calving events are likely. (Image and research credit: O. Marsh et al.; via Gizmodo)

#calving #fluidDynamics #iceShelf #iceberg #oceanTides #physics #science #viscoelasticity

Lars KaleschkeAug 6

Just published:

Zeising, O., Hattermann, T., Kaleschke, L., Berger, S., Boebel, O., Drews, R., Ershadi, M. R., Fromm, T., Pattyn, F., Steinhage, D., and Eisen, O.: Enhanced basal melting in winter and spring: seasonal ice–ocean interactions at the Ekström Ice Shelf, East Antarctica, The Cryosphere, 19, 2837–2854, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-2837-2025, 2025.

#ocean #antarctic #seaice #iceshelf #glacier

Enhanced basal melting in winter and spring: seasonal ice–ocean interactions at the Ekström Ice Shelf, East Antarctica

Abstract. Basal melting of Antarctic ice shelves significantly contributes to ice sheet mass loss, with distinct regional disparities in melt rates driven by ocean properties. In Dronning Maud Land (DML), East Antarctica, cold water predominantly fills the ice shelf cavities, resulting in generally low annual melt rates. In this study, we present a 4-year record of basal melt rates at the Ekström Ice Shelf, measured using an autonomous phase-sensitive radio-echo sounder (ApRES). Observations reveal a low mean annual melt rate of 0.44 m a−1, with a seasonal variability. Enhanced melting occurs in winter and spring, peaking at over 1 m a−1, while rates are decreased in summer and autumn. We hypothesise that the dense water formed during sea-ice formation erodes the water column stratification during late winter and spring, leading to an increase in the buoyancy of the ice shelf water plume. An idealised plume model supports this hypothesis, indicating that the plume velocity is the primary driver of seasonal basal melt rate variability, while changes in ambient water temperature play a secondary role in the range of oceanographic conditions that are observed below the Ekström Ice Shelf. These findings offer new insights into the dynamics of ice–ocean interactions in East Antarctica, emphasising the need for further observations to refine our understanding of ocean variability within ice shelf cavities and improve assessments of ice shelf mass balance.

Nicole SharpJun 18

Ponding on the Ice Shelf

Glaciers flow together and march out to sea along the Amery Ice Shelf in this satellite image of Antarctica. Three glaciers — flowing from the top, left, and bottom of the image — meet just to the right of center and pass from the continental bedrock onto the ice-covered ocean. The ice shelf is recognizable by its plethora of meltwater ponds, which appear as bright blue areas. Each austral summer, meltwater gathers in low-lying regions on the ice, potentially destabilizing the ice shelf through fracture and drainage. This region near the ice shelf’s grounding line is particularly prone to ponding. Regions further afield (right, beyond the image) are colder and drier, often allowing meltwater to refreeze. (Image credit: W. Liang; via NASA Earth Observatory)

#fluidDynamics #geophysics #glacier #iceShelf #melting #physics #planetaryScience #satelliteImage #science

RashaKamelMar 21

"An international team on board Schmidt Ocean Institute's R/V Falkor (too) working in the Bellingshausen Sea rapidly pivoted their research plans to study an area that was, until last month, covered by ice. On January 13, 2025, an iceberg the size of Chicago, named A-84, broke away from the George VI Ice Shelf, one of the massive floating glaciers attached to the Antarctic Peninsula ice sheet".

#Antarctic #iceshelf #glaciers
https://phys.org/news/2025-03-antarctic-ecosystems-detached-iceberg.html

Thriving Antarctic ecosystems found in wake of recently detached iceberg

An international team on board Schmidt Ocean Institute's R/V Falkor (too) working in the Bellingshausen Sea rapidly pivoted their research plans to study an area that was, until last month, covered by ice. On January 13, 2025, an iceberg the size of Chicago, named A-84, broke away from the George VI Ice Shelf, one of the massive floating glaciers attached to the Antarctic Peninsula ice sheet. The team reached the newly exposed seafloor on January 25 and became the first to investigate an area that had never before been accessible to humans.

Phys.org
Show threadNonilexMar 20
Researchers were working off the coast of #Antarctica when it happened: A gigantic #iceberg about 19 miles long cracked off the #IceShelf on Jan 13, revealing a swath of #ocean that had not seen daylight in decades.

The team aboard a #research vessel called the Falkor (too) decided to search the seafloor under the freshly exposed ocean. No human had ever explored the deep sea there before.

#science #discovery #climate #ClimateChange
NonilexMar 20

In Good News / Bad News ?

A huge #iceberg broke off #Antarctica. What scientists found under it startled them.

Crustaceans, snails, worms & fish are among the dozens of creatures that deep-sea explorers discovered under a massive Antarctic #IceShelf.

#science #discovery #research #climate #ClimateChange
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2025/03/20/huge-iceberg-broke-off-antarctica-what-scientists-found-under-it-startled-them/

A huge iceberg broke off Antarctica. What scientists found under it startled them.

Crustaceans, snails, worms and fish are among the dozens of creatures that deep-sea explorers discovered under a massive Antarctic ice shelf.

The Washington Post
RashaKamelJan 30

"An international team of Earth and environmental scientists has found evidence that the Ronne Ice Shelf in the West Antarctic did not melt during the last interglacial event, suggesting it could survive modern climate change".

#Antarctic #iceshelf #climatechange
https://phys.org/news/2025-01-ice-core-samples-west-antarctic.html

Ice core samples show West Antarctic ice sheet survived the last interglacial event

An international team of Earth and environmental scientists has found evidence that the Ronne Ice Shelf in the West Antarctic did not melt during the last interglacial event, suggesting it could survive modern climate change. In their study published in the journal Nature, the team analyzed ice core samples taken from a site near the shelf's edge. The editors at Nature have also published a Research Briefing summarizing the work.

Phys.org
Benjamin Carr, Ph.D. 👨🏻‍💻🧬Jan 20

#Thwaites Eastern #IceShelf nearing collapse as cracks spread, not because of melting

These findings and further computer modeling suggest that, while warm #ocean waters are preconditioning ice loss in West #Antarctica, the ongoing internal destabilisation now poses the greatest threat to the Thwaites Eastern Ice Shelf. The ice shelf is in its final phase of disintegration as these cracks grow, independent of melting from below.
https://thwaitesglacier.org/news/thwaites-eastern-ice-shelf-cracks-spread-not-because-melting #climatechange #climtecrisis

ITGC Thwaites Glacier