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A mechanism for lack of sea ice reversibility in the Southern Ocean
Author(s) -
Ridley Jeff K.,
Hewitt Helene T.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1002/2014gl062167
Subject(s) - sea ice , arctic ice pack , drift ice , oceanography , antarctic sea ice , climatology , weddell sea bottom water , arctic sea ice decline , ocean heat content , geology , cryosphere , forcing (mathematics) , convection , arctic , antarctic bottom water , sea ice thickness , front (military) , ocean current , thermohaline circulation , meteorology , geography
Abstract We find evidence that ocean processes during global warming may result in irreversible changes to the Antarctic sea ice, whereas the Arctic sea ice changes appear to be reversible. Increased forcing gives rise to strong heat uptake in the Southern Ocean, and existing pathways provide an increased transport of heat to the Weddell Sea. As atmospheric concentrations of CO 2 are returned to preindustrial levels, the Antarctic ice extent at first recovers, but a rapid change in the position of the an ocean front in the South Atlantic maintains the heat transport into the Weddell Sea. A cooling surface initiates deep convection, accessing the stored heat, resulting in a substantial loss of sea ice, which has not recovered after a further 150 years at preindustrial CO 2 .