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Shallowing Glacial Antarctic Intermediate Water by Changes in Sea Ice and Hydrological Cycle
Author(s) -
Li Lingwei,
Liu Zhengyu,
Zhu Chenyu,
He Chengfei,
OttoBliesner Bette
Publication year - 2021
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 - 10.1029/2021gl094317
Subject(s) - antarctic intermediate water , geology , glacial period , oceanography , water cycle , climatology , sea ice , ice sheet , north atlantic deep water , geomorphology , thermohaline circulation , ecology , biology
The Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW) is an essential global ocean water mass at intermediate depths. Coupled climate models in isotope‐enabled ( δ 18 O, δ D), fully coupled Community Earth System Model and Paleoclimate Model Intercomparison Project Phase 3 consistently show shallower AAIW depth at the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) due to the northward shift of AAIW. More importantly, modeling results suggest that the northward shift of AAIW can be caused by sea ice expansion and the weakened hydrological cycle under the glacial climate. On the contrary, the AAIW under global warming tends to shift poleward compared to the pre‐industrial period driven by the retreating sea ice and strengthened hydrological cycle. However, the AAIW depth will shallow in response to the ongoing warming, likely due to the overwhelming effects of enhanced stratification and shallowing mixed layer.