TY - JOUR
T1 - Ocean forcing of glacier retreat in the western Antarctic Peninsula
AU - Cook, A. J.
AU - Holland, P. R.
AU - Meredith, M. P.
AU - Murray, T.
AU - Luckman, A.
AU - Vaughan, D. G.
N1 - Copyright not specified
Author not affiliated to SAMS at the time of publication
PY - 2016/7/15
Y1 - 2016/7/15
N2 - In recent decades, hundreds of glaciers draining the Antarctic Peninsula (63° to 70°S) have undergone systematic and progressive change.These changes are widely attributed to rapid increases in regional surface air temperature, but it is now clear that this cannot be the sole driver. Here, we identify a strong correspondence between mid-depth ocean temperatures and glacier-front changes along the ∼1000-kilometer western coastline. In the south, glaciers that terminate in warm Circumpolar Deep Water have undergone considerable retreat, whereas those in the far northwest, which terminate in cooler waters, have not. Furthermore, amid-oceanwarming since the 1990s in the south is coincident with widespread acceleration of glacier retreat.We conclude that changes in ocean-induced melting are the primary cause of retreat for glaciers in this region.
AB - In recent decades, hundreds of glaciers draining the Antarctic Peninsula (63° to 70°S) have undergone systematic and progressive change.These changes are widely attributed to rapid increases in regional surface air temperature, but it is now clear that this cannot be the sole driver. Here, we identify a strong correspondence between mid-depth ocean temperatures and glacier-front changes along the ∼1000-kilometer western coastline. In the south, glaciers that terminate in warm Circumpolar Deep Water have undergone considerable retreat, whereas those in the far northwest, which terminate in cooler waters, have not. Furthermore, amid-oceanwarming since the 1990s in the south is coincident with widespread acceleration of glacier retreat.We conclude that changes in ocean-induced melting are the primary cause of retreat for glaciers in this region.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84978374591&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84978374591&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1126/science.aae0017
DO - 10.1126/science.aae0017
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84978374591
SN - 0036-8075
VL - 353
SP - 283
EP - 286
JO - Science
JF - Science
IS - 6296
ER -