The Sensitivity of the Spatial Pattern of Sea Level Changes to the Depth of Antarctic Meltwater Fluxes

Abstract Regional patterns of sea level rise are affected by a range of factors including glacial melting, which has occurred in recent decades and is projected to increase in the future, perhaps dramatically. Previous modeling studies have typically included fluxes from melting glacial ice only as...

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Main Authors: Ian Eisenman, Aurora Basinski‐Ferris, Emma Beer, Laure Zanna
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2024-10-01
Series:Geophysical Research Letters
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL110633
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author Ian Eisenman
Aurora Basinski‐Ferris
Emma Beer
Laure Zanna
author_facet Ian Eisenman
Aurora Basinski‐Ferris
Emma Beer
Laure Zanna
author_sort Ian Eisenman
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Regional patterns of sea level rise are affected by a range of factors including glacial melting, which has occurred in recent decades and is projected to increase in the future, perhaps dramatically. Previous modeling studies have typically included fluxes from melting glacial ice only as a surface forcing of the ocean or as an offline addition to the sea surface height fields produced by climate models. However, observational estimates suggest that the majority of the meltwater from the Antarctic Ice Sheet actually enters the ocean at depth through ice shelf basal melt. Here we use simulations with an ocean general circulation model in an idealized configuration. The results show that the simulated global sea level change pattern is sensitive to the depth at which Antarctic meltwater enters the ocean. Further analysis suggests that the response is dictated primarily by the steric response to the depth of the meltwater flux.
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publishDate 2024-10-01
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series Geophysical Research Letters
spelling doaj-art-f2fdf990f9fd424a93e898ce14b0038a2025-08-20T02:45:43ZengWileyGeophysical Research Letters0094-82761944-80072024-10-015119n/an/a10.1029/2024GL110633The Sensitivity of the Spatial Pattern of Sea Level Changes to the Depth of Antarctic Meltwater FluxesIan Eisenman0Aurora Basinski‐Ferris1Emma Beer2Laure Zanna3Scripps Institution of Oceanography University of California San Diego La Jolla CA USACourant Institute of Mathematical Sciences New York University New York NY USADepartment of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences Rice University Houston TX USACourant Institute of Mathematical Sciences New York University New York NY USAAbstract Regional patterns of sea level rise are affected by a range of factors including glacial melting, which has occurred in recent decades and is projected to increase in the future, perhaps dramatically. Previous modeling studies have typically included fluxes from melting glacial ice only as a surface forcing of the ocean or as an offline addition to the sea surface height fields produced by climate models. However, observational estimates suggest that the majority of the meltwater from the Antarctic Ice Sheet actually enters the ocean at depth through ice shelf basal melt. Here we use simulations with an ocean general circulation model in an idealized configuration. The results show that the simulated global sea level change pattern is sensitive to the depth at which Antarctic meltwater enters the ocean. Further analysis suggests that the response is dictated primarily by the steric response to the depth of the meltwater flux.https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL110633
spellingShingle Ian Eisenman
Aurora Basinski‐Ferris
Emma Beer
Laure Zanna
The Sensitivity of the Spatial Pattern of Sea Level Changes to the Depth of Antarctic Meltwater Fluxes
Geophysical Research Letters
title The Sensitivity of the Spatial Pattern of Sea Level Changes to the Depth of Antarctic Meltwater Fluxes
title_full The Sensitivity of the Spatial Pattern of Sea Level Changes to the Depth of Antarctic Meltwater Fluxes
title_fullStr The Sensitivity of the Spatial Pattern of Sea Level Changes to the Depth of Antarctic Meltwater Fluxes
title_full_unstemmed The Sensitivity of the Spatial Pattern of Sea Level Changes to the Depth of Antarctic Meltwater Fluxes
title_short The Sensitivity of the Spatial Pattern of Sea Level Changes to the Depth of Antarctic Meltwater Fluxes
title_sort sensitivity of the spatial pattern of sea level changes to the depth of antarctic meltwater fluxes
url https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL110633
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