UNSW Climate Change Research Centre’s Post

New paper alert! Our CCRC’s Maurice Huguenin, PhD and co-authors Ryan Holmes, Paul Spence, and Matt England have just published a fascinating article entitled ‘Subsurface Warming of the West Antarctic Continental Shelf Linked to El Niño-Southern Oscillation’. “In our publication, we isolate the footprint of El Niño-Southern Oscillation on the West Antarctic continental shelf using a high-resolution global ocean circulation model. We find that El Niño weakens the coastal easterly winds in West Antarctica. This reduces the Ekman transport of cold surface waters towards the continent and leads to more cross-shelf flow of warm Circumpolar Deep Water via several possible mechanisms: bottom Ekman transport, baroclinic adjustment of the isopycnals, heat transport associated with the Amundsen Sea undercurrent and eddy heat fluxes. This warming on the shelf has the potential to increase basal melting of ice shelves, accelerating global sea level rise. We see that the response during La Niña is mostly opposite.” Read the paper here: https://lnkd.in/e57VHBND #UNSWCentreForMarineScienceAndInnovation #Antarctica #ENSO UNSW Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences

❄ Sea ice plays a crucial role in our global climate system. It reflects sunlight, regulates temperatures and supports unique but vulnerable ecosystems. However, with climate change accelerating, our sea ice is shrinking at an alarming rate. ❄ A new paper, published last week in Nature Geoscience and led by Alex Bradley (British Antarctic Survey) and Ian Hewitt (University of Oxford) has identified a new tipping point in the way Antarctic ice sheets melt. Seawater, making contact with the underside of the ice sheet, can cause localised melting of the ice - further exacerbated by warming temperatures. This has been described as ‘missing physics’, as current models do not have the ability to simulate melting beneath the ice sheet. The results of this new work in such models could give more reliable estimates as to the speed and extent of melting ice. See the paper here: https://lnkd.in/efXSG9s7 ❄ The project was supported by NERC: Natural Environment Research Council, the PROTECT project and funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme. #makingsciencehappen #expeditionscience #BAS #climate #research #seaice #Antarctica #NERC

Evolution of the most powerful ocean current on Earth - University of Portsmouth: Southern Ocean sediment cores reveal climate-related fluctuations in the Antarctic Circumpolar Current throughout history. https://lnkd.in/ewnqqVDs

A study led by a University of Waikato PhD student Sofia Rauzi has shed light on the cause of delayed climate recovery following Earth’s most severe extinction event 251 million years ago. Published in the renowned multidisciplinary journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), this research reveals the role marine clay formation had in slowing the Earth’s return to baseline temperatures after the end-Permian mass extinction. Find out more 👉 https://lnkd.in/g4qAn7D5 #KoTeTangata #ForThePeople #WUresearch #ClimateChange #ClimateResearch

Via European Geosciences Union (EGU) - Southern Ocean warming and Antarctic ice shelf melting in conditions plausible by late 23rd century in a high-end scenario - Ocean Science https://lnkd.in/eRpnFiKS

Take a break, we’re on Smoko! This week we are joined by Dr. Molly Patterson, a renowned oceanographer, climate scientist and Assistant Professor at Binghamton University. In this episode, Molly delves into the critical issue of sea level rise and its implications for coastal communities worldwide. We delve into the SWAIS2C - Sensitivity of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet to 2°C of warming project, in which Dr. Patterson is a co-chief. Molly explains the dynamics of #Antarctic ice sheets and their response to warming. Molly explains the work of her team and how by drilling into the Antarctic seabed they can analyze the sediment records from the Ross Ice Shelf. By deciphering past ice sheet movements during warm periods, they aim to develop predictive models for future sea level rise. Through interdisciplinary research and international collaboration, the project seeks to unravel the sensitivity of the West Antarctic ice sheet to warming and its potential impact on sea level rise. Molly underscores the importance of mentorship and interdisciplinary collaboration in climate #science. We discuss the challenges of communicating complex climate data to the public and the vital role of #scientists in tackling the biotic crisis triggered by #climatechange. Their conversation sheds light on the complexities of climate research in #Antarctica and underscores the urgent need for collective action to mitigate its consequences. Tune in here: https://lnkd.in/gzAD6F4P SWAIS2C - Sensitivity of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet to 2°C of warming: https://www.swais2c.aq/ #womeninscience #environmentalscience #womeninengineering #womeinintrades #womenintechnology #climate #nature #oceanography #geoscience

"Scientists have identified several “tipping points” in Earth’s climate system that may be triggered by human-caused climate change. Once these thresholds are crossed, the consequences cannot be easily undone. Climbing greenhouse gas concentrations have raised air temperatures in New Zealand, and globally, by about 1.1°C since the late 19th century. Projections suggest New Zealand may end this century 1°C to 3°C warmer than now. However, these estimates do not include the potential impacts of a future AMOC collapse. Our insights from the recent geological past show this AMOC tipping point has global reach, and could accelerate future warming in New Zealand."

🌌🌊 New Study Alert: Mars & Earth's Ocean Connection 🌍🔴 Scientists have uncovered a fascinating cosmic link between Mars and the deep eddies in Earth's oceans. By analyzing deep-sea sediments, researchers found that ocean currents have fluctuated in strength during 2.4-million-year climate cycles. This discovery, published in Nature Communications, suggests Mars may influence these giant eddies, potentially impacting the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) 🌪️🔬. While the future of the AMOC, a key component in regulating our climate, remains uncertain amid global warming concerns, this study offers a glimmer of hope. It indicates that intensified deep ocean eddies could prevent stagnation in a warmer world, preserving ocean life 🐠🌡️. However, the connection between Mars, ocean circulation, and climate change remains an area ripe for further research. With satellite observations noting increased eddy activity, the exact role these deep-sea currents play is yet to be fully understood 🛰️🌐. #MarsInfluence #DeepOceanEddies #ClimateChange #OceanResearch #NatureCommunications #GlobalWarming #AMOC #EarthScience #MarineBiology #SpaceAndOcean #FutureClimateModels

New paper alert 🚨! https://lnkd.in/g4XgB8zc Excited to share my most recent study, conducted in collaboration with Erin Dougherty, introducing a regional kilometer-scale NSF NCAR - The National Center for Atmospheric Research MPAS modeling configuration along with future climate projections to explore how climate change will impact tropical Africa. Our findings link changes in the West African Monsoon associated with climate change to patterns observed during the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season! Read the newsletter from Texas A&M College of Arts & Sciences for more information!

Climate change is affecting species that rely on the shifting seasons for their life cycles. 🐧🐣 Retreating sea ice and increased daylight in the spring are triggering a sequence of seasonal events, or phenological events, like snowmelt and penguins laying eggs. #NSFfunded researchers recently published these discoveries from along the Western Antarctic Peninsula. They used environmental and biological data from the Palmer Station Antarctica Long-Term Ecological Research program, which has operated since 1991 and maintains continuous routine monitoring on the West Antarctic Peninsula. With polar regions experiencing the most rapid rates of air and sea temperature warming, the new study provides a valuable record of seasonal events.https://bit.ly/3y7s5zK 📷: Mike Lucibella, NSF #Antarctica #AntarcticData #data