June 20, 2010

Oceanographers Call For More Antarctica Ocean-Observing


This mountainous arm of the continent stretches north toward South America.

In their review paper, the co-authors, who have done research in the Antarctic, often together, argue that research in this region is imperative: The WAP's climate, they say, is changing faster than the climate in the rest of the continent, while Antarctica's climate is changing faster than anywhere else on the planet.

The authors' case for a greatly expanded ocean-observing capability in the peninsula is stark. They observe that 87 percent of the peninsula's glaciers are in retreat, the ice season has shortened by 90 days, and perennial sea ice is no longer a feature of this environment. They also point out that these changes are accelerating.



The authors write that the ocean surrounding Antarctica is warming and that this warming has driven the deglaciation of the peninsula. The interplay between ice, atmosphere and ocean in the in the peninsula produces a positive feedback "“ a situation in which a system responds to changes by amplifying subsequent changes, they say. In the case of the Western Antarctic Peninsula, this means that ice, ocean, and atmosphere work to increase each other's temperature and the rate at which their temperatures increase. However, the authors report that the mechanism of this interplay is not well understood, and expanded ocean-observing systems will help scientific understanding.



Image Caption: Scientists deployed from a research vessel get close to the ice in Antarctica. This kind of observing, Rutgers' Oscar Schofield writes, is not enough to keep up with the pace of climate change in Antarctica. Credit: Rutgers University


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