Large Antarctic Ice Shelf Increasingly Destabilized as Temperatures Rise

Nature Communications, March 31

A potentially irreversible tipping point in Antarctica’s large Filchner–Ronne Ice Shelf (approximately the size of California) may be crossed if the ocean cavity beneath becomes flooded with warm water from the deep ocean. This modeling study found that as ocean circulation changes in response to increased levels of carbon emissions, cold water will pool underneath this ice shelf, temporarily reducing its melting rates. However, should global mean surface temperatures rise by approximately 7°C above pre-industrial, warm water will begin to enter into this cavity, pushing the ice shelf towards collapse. Authors emphasize that this ice shelf is not unconditionally stable and, although not as sensitive to climate change as previously thought, can serve as a warning sign for the later destabilization of the region.

https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/15/1501/2021/

Compiled by Amy Imdieke