The Ross Gyre and its role on heat delivery to the Antarctic margins
Julia Neme
Melt from the West Antarctic Ice Sheet dominates present-day Antarctica’s contribution to sea level rise and is predominantly driven by the transport of warm Circumpolar Deep Water into the ice shelf cavities. Circumpolar Deep Water originates remotely from within the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and has to travel a considerable distance poleward before reaching the Antarctic margins. In this work we focus on the large-scale mechanisms that govern the path of heat south towards the West Antarctic margins. This work aims to (i) assess how different circulation regimes drive changes in the advection of heat towards the continent and (ii) explain the dynamics behind changes in those regimes. We use a combination of a fully interannually varying global simulation and sensitivity experiments in a regional model with a repeat year forcing configuration. Our results highlight the role of the Ross Gyre, wherein expansions of the gyre’s area driven by shifts in the position of its eastern boundary modulate the temperatures off the continental shelf.
Please use this thread for discussion about this talk.