The impact of tides on Antarctic ice shelf melting
<p>Tides influence basal melting of individual Antarctic ice shelves, but their net impact on Antarctic-wide ice–ocean interaction has yet to be constrained. Here we quantify the impact of tides on ice shelf melting and the continental shelf seas using a 4 km resolution circum-Antarctic ocean...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Copernicus Publications
2022-04-01
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| Series: | The Cryosphere |
| Online Access: | https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/16/1409/2022/tc-16-1409-2022.pdf |
| _version_ | 1828381511661912064 |
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| author | O. Richter O. Richter O. Richter D. E. Gwyther D. E. Gwyther M. A. King M. A. King B. K. Galton-Fenzi B. K. Galton-Fenzi B. K. Galton-Fenzi |
| author_facet | O. Richter O. Richter O. Richter D. E. Gwyther D. E. Gwyther M. A. King M. A. King B. K. Galton-Fenzi B. K. Galton-Fenzi B. K. Galton-Fenzi |
| author_sort | O. Richter |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <p>Tides influence basal melting of individual Antarctic ice shelves, but their net impact on Antarctic-wide ice–ocean interaction has yet to be constrained. Here we quantify the impact of tides on ice shelf melting and the continental shelf seas using a 4 km resolution circum-Antarctic ocean model. Activating tides in the model increases the total basal mass loss by 57 Gt yr<span class="inline-formula"><sup>−1</sup></span> (4 %) while decreasing continental shelf temperatures by 0.04 <span class="inline-formula"><sup>∘</sup></span>C. The Ronne Ice Shelf features the highest increase in mass loss (44 Gt yr<span class="inline-formula"><sup>−1</sup></span>, 128 %), coinciding with strong residual currents and increasing temperatures on the adjacent continental shelf. In some large ice shelves tides strongly affect melting in regions where the ice thickness is of dynamic importance to grounded ice flow. Further, to explore the processes that cause variations in melting we apply dynamical–thermodynamical decomposition to the melt drivers in the boundary layer. In most regions, the impact of tidal currents on the turbulent exchange of heat and salt across the ice–ocean boundary layer has a strong contribution. In some regions, however, mechanisms driven by thermodynamic effects are equally or more important, including under the frontal parts of Ronne Ice Shelf. Our results support the importance of capturing tides for robust modelling of glacier systems and shelf seas, as well as motivate future studies to directly assess friction-based parameterizations for the pan-Antarctic domain.</p> |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-10T04:15:10Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-5d640be24969460ab3d22f5a7b9f3fe9 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1994-0416 1994-0424 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-10T04:15:10Z |
| publishDate | 2022-04-01 |
| publisher | Copernicus Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Cryosphere |
| spelling | doaj.art-5d640be24969460ab3d22f5a7b9f3fe92022-12-22T02:02:36ZengCopernicus PublicationsThe Cryosphere1994-04161994-04242022-04-01161409142910.5194/tc-16-1409-2022The impact of tides on Antarctic ice shelf meltingO. Richter0O. Richter1O. Richter2D. E. Gwyther3D. E. Gwyther4M. A. King5M. A. King6B. K. Galton-Fenzi7B. K. Galton-Fenzi8B. K. Galton-Fenzi9Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 129, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, AustraliaSchool of Geography, Planning, and Spatial Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australianow at: Physical Oceanography of Polar Seas, Alfred Wegener Institute, Postfach 12 01 61, 27515 Bremerhaven, GermanyInstitute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 129, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, AustraliaCoastal and Regional Oceanography Laboratory, School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, AustraliaSchool of Geography, Planning, and Spatial Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, AustraliaThe Australian Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, AustraliaThe Australian Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, AustraliaAustralian Antarctic Division, Kingston, Tasmania 7050, AustraliaAustralian Antarctic Program Partnership, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia<p>Tides influence basal melting of individual Antarctic ice shelves, but their net impact on Antarctic-wide ice–ocean interaction has yet to be constrained. Here we quantify the impact of tides on ice shelf melting and the continental shelf seas using a 4 km resolution circum-Antarctic ocean model. Activating tides in the model increases the total basal mass loss by 57 Gt yr<span class="inline-formula"><sup>−1</sup></span> (4 %) while decreasing continental shelf temperatures by 0.04 <span class="inline-formula"><sup>∘</sup></span>C. The Ronne Ice Shelf features the highest increase in mass loss (44 Gt yr<span class="inline-formula"><sup>−1</sup></span>, 128 %), coinciding with strong residual currents and increasing temperatures on the adjacent continental shelf. In some large ice shelves tides strongly affect melting in regions where the ice thickness is of dynamic importance to grounded ice flow. Further, to explore the processes that cause variations in melting we apply dynamical–thermodynamical decomposition to the melt drivers in the boundary layer. In most regions, the impact of tidal currents on the turbulent exchange of heat and salt across the ice–ocean boundary layer has a strong contribution. In some regions, however, mechanisms driven by thermodynamic effects are equally or more important, including under the frontal parts of Ronne Ice Shelf. Our results support the importance of capturing tides for robust modelling of glacier systems and shelf seas, as well as motivate future studies to directly assess friction-based parameterizations for the pan-Antarctic domain.</p>https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/16/1409/2022/tc-16-1409-2022.pdf |
| spellingShingle | O. Richter O. Richter O. Richter D. E. Gwyther D. E. Gwyther M. A. King M. A. King B. K. Galton-Fenzi B. K. Galton-Fenzi B. K. Galton-Fenzi The impact of tides on Antarctic ice shelf melting The Cryosphere |
| title | The impact of tides on Antarctic ice shelf melting |
| title_full | The impact of tides on Antarctic ice shelf melting |
| title_fullStr | The impact of tides on Antarctic ice shelf melting |
| title_full_unstemmed | The impact of tides on Antarctic ice shelf melting |
| title_short | The impact of tides on Antarctic ice shelf melting |
| title_sort | impact of tides on antarctic ice shelf melting |
| url | https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/16/1409/2022/tc-16-1409-2022.pdf |
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