East Antarctic ice sheet most vulnerable to Weddell Sea warming

N. R. Golledge; R. H. Levy; R. M. McKay; T. R. Naish

doi:10.1002/2016gl072422

journal article Mar 07, 2017

East Antarctic ice sheet most vulnerable to Weddell Sea warming

N. R. Golledge

R. H. Levy R. M. McKay

T. R. Naish

Geophysical Research Letters Vol. 44 No. 5 pp. 2343-2351 · American Geophysical Union (AGU)

View at Publisher Save 10.1002/2016gl072422

Abstract

AbstractModels predict considerable spatial variability in the magnitude of future climate change around Antarctica, suggesting that some sectors of the continent may be more affected by these changes than others. Furthermore, the geometry of the bedrock topography underlying the East and West Antarctic ice sheets, together with regional differences in ice thickness, mean that certain ice drainage basins may respond more or less sensitively to environmental forcings. Here we use an ensemble of idealized climates to drive ice‐sheet simulations that explore regional and continental‐scale thresholds, allowing us to identify a hierarchy of catchment vulnerabilities based on differences in long‐term catchment‐averaged ice loss. Considering this hierarchy in the context of recent observations and climate scenarios forecast for 2100 CE, we conclude that the majority of future ice loss from East Antarctica, both this century and over subsequent millennia, will likely come from the Recovery subglacial basin in the eastern Weddell Sea.

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Metrics

78

Citations

37

References

Details

Published: Mar 07, 2017
Vol/Issue: 44(5)
Pages: 2343-2351
License: View

Authors

N

N. R. Golledge

Antarctic Research Centre Victoria University of Wellington Wellington New Zealand; GNS Science Lower Hutt New Zealand

R

R. H. Levy

GNS Science Lower Hutt New Zealand

R

R. M. McKay

Antarctic Research Centre Victoria University of Wellington Wellington New Zealand

T

T. R. Naish

Antarctic Research Centre Victoria University of Wellington Wellington New Zealand

Funding

National Aeronautics and Space Administration Award: NNX13AM16G

Royal Society of New Zealand Award: RDF-VUW1501

Georgian National Science Foundation

Cite This Article

N. R. Golledge, R. H. Levy, R. M. McKay, et al. (2017). East Antarctic ice sheet most vulnerable to Weddell Sea warming. Geophysical Research Letters, 44(5), 2343-2351. https://doi.org/10.1002/2016gl072422

East Antarctic ice sheet most vulnerable to Weddell Sea warming

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