Ocean forcing of glacier retreat in the western Antarctic Peninsula

Cook, A.J.; Holland, P.R.; Meredith, M.P.; Murray, T.; Luckman, A.; Vaughan, D.G.

doi:10.1126/science.aae0017

Ocean forcing of glacier retreat in the western Antarctic Peninsula

Cook, A.J.; Holland, P.R.; Meredith, M.P.; Murray, T.; Luckman, A.; Vaughan, D.G.

Authors

A.J. Cook

P.R. Holland

M.P. Meredith

T. Murray

A. Luckman

D.G. Vaughan

Abstract

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, a mid-ocean warming 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.

Citation

Cook, A., Holland, P., Meredith, M., Murray, T., Luckman, A., & Vaughan, D. (2016). Ocean forcing of glacier retreat in the western Antarctic Peninsula. Science, 353(6296), 283-286. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aae0017

Journal Article Type	Article
Acceptance Date	Jun 9, 2016
Online Publication Date	Jul 15, 2016
Publication Date	Jul 15, 2016
Deposit Date	Jul 27, 2016
Publicly Available Date	Aug 9, 2016
Journal	Science
Print ISSN	0036-8075
Electronic ISSN	1095-9203
Publisher	American Association for the Advancement of Science
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	353
Issue	6296
Pages	283-286
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aae0017

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Copyright Statement
This is the author’s version of the work. It is posted here by permission of the AAAS for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Science on 15 Jul 2016: Vol. 353, Issue 6296, pp. 283-286, DOI: 10.1126/science.aae0017