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The suppression of Antarctic bottom water formation by melting ice shelves in Prydz Bay
Citation
Williams, GD and Herraiz-Borreguero, L and Roquet, F and Tamura, T and Ohshima, KI and Fukamachi, Y and Fraser, AD and Gao, L and Chen, H and McMahon, CR and Harcourt, R and Hindell, M, The suppression of Antarctic bottom water formation by melting ice shelves in Prydz Bay, Nature Communications, 7 Article 12577. ISSN 2041-1723 (2016) [Refereed Article]
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Copyright Statement
Copyright 2016 the author(s) Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Abstract
A fourth production region for the globally important Antarctic bottom water has been
attributed to dense shelf water formation in the Cape Darnley Polynya, adjoining Prydz Bay in
East Antarctica. Here we show new observations from CTD-instrumented elephant seals
in 2011–2013 that provide the first complete assessment of dense shelf water formation in
Prydz Bay. After a complex evolution involving opposing contributions from three polynyas
(positive) and two ice shelves (negative), dense shelf water (salinity 34.65–34.7) is exported
through Prydz Channel. This provides a distinct, relatively fresh contribution to
Cape Darnley bottom water. Elsewhere, dense water formation is hindered by the freshwater
input from the Amery and West Ice Shelves into the Prydz Bay Gyre. This study highlights
the susceptibility of Antarctic bottom water to increased freshwater input from the
enhanced melting of ice shelves, and ultimately the potential collapse of Antarctic bottom
water formation in a warming climate.
Item Details
| Item Type: | Refereed Article |
|---|---|
| Keywords: | Antarctic Bottom Water, southern elephant seals, ice shelves, Prydz Bay |
| Research Division: | Earth Sciences |
| Research Group: | Oceanography |
| Research Field: | Physical Oceanography |
| Objective Division: | Environment |
| Objective Group: | Climate and Climate Change |
| Objective Field: | Social Impacts of Climate Change and Variability |
| Author: | Williams, GD (Dr Guy Williams) |
| Author: | Tamura, T (Dr Takeshi Tamura) |
| Author: | Fraser, AD (Dr Alex Fraser) |
| Author: | Hindell, M (Professor Mark Hindell) |
| ID Code: | 113753 |
| Year Published: | 2016 |
| Funding Support: | Australian Research Council (FT130100692) |
| Deposited By: | Centre for Oceans and Cryosphere |
| Deposited On: | 2017-01-19 |
| Last Modified: | 2017-03-17 |
| Downloads: | 8 View Download Statistics |
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