Recent Ice Melt Research Articles

Autonomous vehicle surveys indicate that flow reversals retain juvenile fishes in a highly advective high‐latitude ecosystem

AbstractSummer surveys of the Chukchi Sea indicate that high densities of age‐0 gadid fishes, historically Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida) but recently also walleye pollock (Gadus chalcogrammus), dominate the pelagic fish community. Adults are comparatively scarce, suggesting that either overwinter survivorship of age‐0 gadids is low, or that they emigrate to other areas of the Pacific Arctic. To examine population movement, we conducted repeat acoustic surveys with saildrone autonomous surface vehicles equipped with echosounders throughout summer 2018. The saildrones' range and endurance enabled two large‐scale surveys of the U.S. Chukchi shelf. Acoustic backscatter, a proxy for fish density, was highest in regions with sea surface temperatures of 6–8°C, and lowest in areas influenced by recent ice melt. A subarea of the central Chukchi was surveyed a total of four times; backscatter in this subarea increased by > 85% from late‐July to mid‐September. As summer progressed, fish developed more extensive diel vertical migrations and backscatter from individuals doubled. Both changes suggest increases in backscatter were driven primarily by increasing body size. Particle tracking simulations indicated age‐0 gadids were likely retained over the Chukchi shelf by extended periods of wind‐driven southward flow during the survey period before strong northward flow in late fall transported them to the north. These findings suggest that in summer 2018, age‐0 gadids were advected northward to the Chukchi shelf from the northern Bering Sea, where they were retained during a period of growth until late fall before being advected farther north toward the Chukchi and Beaufort shelf breaks.

Past and present ITRF solutions from geophysical perspectives

Questions about the accuracy of the origin of the different versions of International Terrestrial Reference Frame (ITRF), have been regularly raised. In particular the origin drift between ITRF2000 and ITRF2005 (and subsequent ITRF solutions) is well-known to be problematic. Here, we look forward a sort of geophysical evaluation of ITRF solutions. We investigate GNSS vertical velocities provided by the last four ITRF solutions (ITRF2000 to ITRF2014; Altamimi et al., 2005, 2007, 2011, 2016) that we compare with different Global Isostatic Adjustment (GIA) model predictions. We find that each new ITRF solution appears to be more and more consistent with all GIA predictions, except ITRF2014 whose consistency with the GIA models depends on the date of observation. Indeed, GNSS observations and GIA predictions appear consistent at global scale at a level of ~4 mm/yr using ITRF2000 data, ~2.5–3 mm/yr using ITRF2005 data, and ~2 mm/yr using ITRF2008 data (global weighted root mean squares). For ITRF2014, the consistency between GNSS observations and GIA predictions is extremely high in 2000 (~1.5 mm/yr) but seems then to decrease with time (~2 mm/yr in 2013). This discrepancy is due to the recent ice melting effect that is not accounted for in GIA models, but clearly evidenced by ITRF2014 vertical velocities during the last years of observations, in particular in Greenland.

ITRF2014, Earth Figure Changes, and Geocenter Velocity: Implications for GIA and Recent Ice Melting

AbstractUsing a selection of Global Navigation Satellite System vertical velocities from the latest solution of the International Terrestrial Reference Frame (ITRF) ITRF2014, we calculate the degree‐1 and degree‐2 spherical harmonics coefficients (SHC) of the solid Earth figure changes at different dates, with realistic errors that take into account the inhomogeneity of the network. We find that the SHC are globally close to zero except the zonal coefficients, which show values notably larger than those derived from different glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) models and which have tended to increase during the time span of observations. We show that these differences are most probably due to global recent ice melting (RIM). Assuming elastic RIM deformation, we then investigate the Earth's geocenter velocity and the geoid oblateness time evolution (J2‐rate) derived from our SHC estimations. The obtained geocenter velocity reaches 0.9 ± 0.5 mm/year in 2013 with a z‐component of 0.8 ± 0.4 mm/year, which is slightly larger than previous estimations. We compare our J2‐rate estimations with observations. Our estimations show a similar acceleration in J2 after 2000. However, our estimates are notably larger than the observations. This indicates either that the J2‐rate due to GIA processes is lower than expected (as proposed by Nakada et al., 2015, 2016) or that the deformation induced by RIM is not purely elastic, or both. Finally, we show that viscous relaxation or phase transitions in the mantle transition zone may only partly explain this discrepancy. This raises the question of the accuracy of current mass estimations of RIM and GIA models.

Near-ice hydrographic data from Seaglider missions in the western Greenland Sea in summer 2014 and 2015

Abstract. During summer 2014 and summer 2015 two autonomous Seagliders were operated over several months close to the ice edge of the East Greenland Current to capture the near-surface freshwater distribution in the western Greenland Sea. The mission in 2015 included an excursion onto the East Greenland Shelf into the Norske Trough. Temperature, salinity and drift data were obtained in the upper 500 to 1000 m with high spatial resolution. The data set presented here gives the opportunity to analyze the freshwater distribution and possible sources for two different summer situations. During summer 2014 the ice retreat at the rim of the Greenland Sea Gyre was only marginal. The Seagliders were never able to reach the shelf break nor regions where the ice just melted. During summer 2015 the ice retreat was clearly visible. Finally, ice was present only on the shallow shelves. The Seaglider crossed regions with recent ice melt and was even able to reach the entrance of the Norske Trough. The data processing for these glider measurements was conducted at Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI). The first part consists of the Seaglider Toolbox from the University of Each Anglia; the second was exclusively composed for the data from the Greenland Sea. The final hydrographic, position and drift data sets can be downloaded from https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.893896 (Latarius et al., 2018).

Ice melt, sea level rise and superstorms: evidence from paleoclimate data, climate modeling, and modern observations that 2 °C global warming could be dangerous

Abstract. We use numerical climate simulations, paleoclimate data, and modern observations to study the effect of growing ice melt from Antarctica and Greenland. Meltwater tends to stabilize the ocean column, inducing amplifying feedbacks that increase subsurface ocean warming and ice shelf melting. Cold meltwater and induced dynamical effects cause ocean surface cooling in the Southern Ocean and North Atlantic, thus increasing Earth's energy imbalance and heat flux into most of the global ocean's surface. Southern Ocean surface cooling, while lower latitudes are warming, increases precipitation on the Southern Ocean, increasing ocean stratification, slowing deepwater formation, and increasing ice sheet mass loss. These feedbacks make ice sheets in contact with the ocean vulnerable to accelerating disintegration. We hypothesize that ice mass loss from the most vulnerable ice, sufficient to raise sea level several meters, is better approximated as exponential than by a more linear response. Doubling times of 10, 20 or 40 years yield multi-meter sea level rise in about 50, 100 or 200 years. Recent ice melt doubling times are near the lower end of the 10–40-year range, but the record is too short to confirm the nature of the response. The feedbacks, including subsurface ocean warming, help explain paleoclimate data and point to a dominant Southern Ocean role in controlling atmospheric CO2, which in turn exercised tight control on global temperature and sea level. The millennial (500–2000-year) timescale of deep-ocean ventilation affects the timescale for natural CO2 change and thus the timescale for paleo-global climate, ice sheet, and sea level changes, but this paleo-millennial timescale should not be misinterpreted as the timescale for ice sheet response to a rapid, large, human-made climate forcing. These climate feedbacks aid interpretation of events late in the prior interglacial, when sea level rose to +6–9 m with evidence of extreme storms while Earth was less than 1 °C warmer than today. Ice melt cooling of the North Atlantic and Southern oceans increases atmospheric temperature gradients, eddy kinetic energy and baroclinicity, thus driving more powerful storms. The modeling, paleoclimate evidence, and ongoing observations together imply that 2 °C global warming above the preindustrial level could be dangerous. Continued high fossil fuel emissions this century are predicted to yield (1) cooling of the Southern Ocean, especially in the Western Hemisphere; (2) slowing of the Southern Ocean overturning circulation, warming of the ice shelves, and growing ice sheet mass loss; (3) slowdown and eventual shutdown of the Atlantic overturning circulation with cooling of the North Atlantic region; (4) increasingly powerful storms; and (5) nonlinearly growing sea level rise, reaching several meters over a timescale of 50–150 years. These predictions, especially the cooling in the Southern Ocean and North Atlantic with markedly reduced warming or even cooling in Europe, differ fundamentally from existing climate change assessments. We discuss observations and modeling studies needed to refute or clarify these assertions.

Dissolved Fe across the Weddell Sea and Drake Passage: impact of DFe on nutrient uptake

Abstract. This manuscript reports the first full depth distributions of dissolved iron (DFe) over a high-resolution Weddell Sea and Drake Passage transect. Very low dissolved DFe concentrations (0.01–0.1 nM range) were observed in the surface waters of the Weddell Sea, and within the Drake Passage polar regime. Locally, enrichment in surface DFe was observed, likely due to recent ice melt (Weddell Sea) or dust deposition (Drake Passage). As expected, in low DFe regions, usually a small silicate drawdown compared to the nitrate drawdown was observed. However, the difference in drawdown between these nutrients appeared not related to DFe availability in the western Weddell Sea. In this region with relatively small diatoms, no relationship between N : P and N : Si removal ratios and DFe was observed. In comparison, along the Greenwich Meridian (Klunder et al., 2011a), where diatoms are significantly larger, the N : P and N : Si removal ratios did increase with increasing DFe. These findings confirm the important role of DFe in biologically mediated nutrient cycles in the Southern Ocean and imply DFe availability might play a role in shaping phytoplankton communities and constraining cell sizes. Over the shelf around the Antarctic Peninsula, higher DFe concentrations (>1.5 nM) were observed. These elevated concentrations of Fe were transported into Drake Passage along isopycnal surfaces. Near the South American continent, high (>2 nM) DFe concentrations were caused by fluvial/glacial input of DFe. On the Weddell Sea side of the Peninsula region, formation of deep water (by downslope convection) caused relatively high Fe (0.6–0.8 nM) concentrations in the bottom waters relative to the water masses at mid-depth (0.2–0.4 nM). During transit of Weddell Sea Bottom Water to the Drake Passage, through the Scotia Sea, additional DFe is taken up from seafloor sources, resulting in highest bottom water concentrations in the southernmost part of the Drake Passage in excess of 1 nM. The Weddell Sea Deep Water concentrations (∼0.32 nM) were consistent with the lowest DFe concentrations observed in Antarctic bottom water in the Atlantic Ocean.

ITRF2008 contribution to glacial isostatic adjustment and recent ice melting assessment

We investigate what information station vertical velocities of the ITRF2008 provide on global geodetic parameters and by extension on glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) and recent ice melting (RIM) processes. We infer degree‐2 spherical harmonic coefficients (SHC) of the Earth figure change and theJ2 gravity rate (J˙2), which we compare with five GIA models. We find J˙2 to be (0.0 ± 2.4) × 10−11 yr−1, which is consistent with recent studies that propose a J˙2 change in the 1990s, due to RIM whose contribution to the J˙2 would be today around (3.5–4.0 ± 2.4) × 10−11 yr−1. Such results favor Peltier (2004) VM2 or Paulson et al. (2007) GIA models. The ITRF2008 SHC that are directly impacted by the GIA rotational feedback, confirm with a good precision recent results from GRACE mission that initiated a debate on GIA rotational feedback and about Peltier GIA model quality. We find a coefficient consistent with Paulson's (and other) model and more than 7 times smaller than coefficients in Peltier's models. Two explanations are possible: (1) if the model of Peltier (2004) VM2 were to be correct, then the strong rotational feedback in the model must be counteracted by a strong rotational feedback in the opposite direction generated by current ice loss, (2) if the model of Paulson et al. (2007) were to be correct, therefore GIA and RIM separately induce negligible rotational feedbacks. Both answers are quite extreme and call for more investigation on GIA modeling and rotational feedback.

Observations of chromophoric dissolved and detrital organic matter distribution using remote sensing in the Southern Ocean: Validation, dynamics and regulation

Chromophoric dissolved and detrital organic matter (CDM), the optically active fraction of organic matter, affects significantly the underwater light environment and interferes with ocean color algorithms. Here, we studied the distribution and dynamics of CDM in waters around the Antarctic Peninsula, Southern Ocean, using remotely sensed data in austral summers from 1997 to 2005. First, we validated the global semi-analytic algorithm Garver–Siegel–Maritorena (GSM) by comparing simultaneous field and satellite measurements of CDM. These comparisons confirmed the validity of CDM satellite measurements obtained by the GSM algorithm (r 2 = 0.74, slope value = 1.01 ± 0.16, n = 15).We found a higher (20%) contribution of detrital particles to the CDM signal compared to other studies in lower latitudes (average 12%). Patches of higher CDM were observed in coastal areas and zones with recent ice melting. The seasonal variability of CDM, with maximum values at the end of austral summer, appeared to be ultimately controlled by the dynamics of ice, both directly and indirectly through the growth of phytoplankton and other organisms which are potential sources of CDM. At an interannual timescale, CDM dynamics may be driven by climatic forcing such as the Antarctic Oscillation.