Antarctic ice melt unleashes unprecedented Southern storms
Scientists indicate that the turbulent waters of the Southern Ocean and increasing wind gusts around Antarctica are consequences of the rapid loss of ice. "Nature states: This is a change not seen in the last century.
Scientists from the British National Oceanography Centre say the rapid melting of Antarctica's glaciers causes more frequent storms in the Southern Ocean. The researchers presented their observations in a new article published in the scientific journal Nature.
This is the first such change in 100 years
British experts' research focused on the record low level of sea ice in Antarctica during the winter of 2023 and its impact on storm conditions. This winter, sea ice cover in the Weddell, Bellingshausen, and Ross seas decreased by as much as 80 percent compared to the norm. This decline appears to have domino effect on the continent's larger climate system.
During the cold winter, sea ice acts as a barrier, limiting heat flow from the warmer ocean to the cooler atmosphere. Without this shield, heat enters the atmosphere. Scientists observed that ice loss in 2023 doubled the heat flow from the ocean to the atmosphere in certain regions.
The heat released into the atmosphere can cause storms by warming the air and accelerating circulation. This leads to cloud formation and intensifies weather phenomena. It is estimated that the reduced ice cover in 2023 increased the frequency of storms by about seven days each month compared to 1990–2015.
- For nearly 40 years, the amount of ice in the sea around Antarctica showed small but significant increases, culminating in a record high in 2014. But this was followed by a large loss of sea ice in 2016 and, in 2023, the losses were unprecedented, and a near-record low persisted in 2024— assert Laura L. Landrum and Alice K. DuVivier, climatologists from the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado, in an accompanying "Nature" - News & Views article. - This decline, along with oceanic changes, suggest that the Southern Ocean could be going through a shift unlike anything seen in the past century.
Extreme winters could be part of a systemic change
In Antarctica, storms are common in coastal zones, where they form due to weather patterns over the Southern Ocean. Here, cold continental air masses collide with warmer ocean masses, increasing the chance of storms. Antarctic storms are known for hurricane-like winds, extreme cold, and intense snowfalls, especially in the winter when the continent is plunged into darkness, creating polar vortices.
Scientists predict that they may become even more pronounced if the current phenomena persist. They believe that the extreme winters of 2023 and 2024 may be part of a systemic change related to the transformation of the Southern Ocean system.
