More Antarctic meltwater is surfacing than was previously known, modifying the climate, preventing sea ice from forming and boosting marine productivity– according to new research from the University of East Anglia (UEA).
More Antarctic meltwater is surfacing than was previously known, modifying the climate, preventing sea ice from forming and boosting marine productivity– according to new research from the University of East Anglia (UEA).
For the first time, researchers have been able to obtain full-depth glacial meltwater observations in winter, using instruments attached to the heads of seals living near the Pine Island Glacier, in the remote Amundsen Sea in the west of Antarctica.
The harsh environmental conditions in the Antarctic limit the use of most traditional observation systems, such as ships and airplanes, especially in winter. But oceanographers working with biologists used data collected by tagged seals to measure water temperature and salinity.
The paper, ‘Winter seal-based observations reveal glacial meltwater surfacing in the southeastern Amundsen Sea’, is published in today the journal Communications: Earth and Environment.
Read more at University of East Anglia
Image: Guilherme A. Bortolotto (Credit: Sea Mammal Research Unit, University of St Andrews)
