Abstract:

Antarctica is losing mass at an accelerated rate. The most significant ice-loss signal comes from a relatively small area, including the Amundsen Sea Embayment in the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. Glaciers in this sector are rapidly retreating as ice flow is accelerating due to vigorous ocean-driven melting at the vulnerable interface where glaciers detach from the bedrock. These rapid changes have raised concerns about a future collapse of the entire sector, which could raise global sea level by up to three meters. However, the 21st-century rate and extent of ice loss from Antarctic glaciers remain uncertain, largely due to limited understanding of the physical processes at the ice-ocean interface. Traditionally, ice-ocean processes have been examined through the lens of long-term climatic patterns, focusing on inter-annual and, to a lesser extent, seasonal scales. In this talk, I highlight the importance of small-scale (<50 km), short-term (hours to days) ocean mechanisms controlling submarine ice melting. I argue that, despite being largely overlooked, these processes are among the key drivers of ice loss in the Amundsen Sea Embayment and must be urgently integrated into climate models to improve projections of future sea-level rise.