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Updated: Jun 24, 2026
10:01
Flash-and-Freeze: A Novel Technique to Capture Membrane Dynamics with Electron Microscopy
Published on: May 1, 2017
Circulation and melting beneath the ross ice shelf
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|February 2, 1979
Summary
Oceanographic observations beneath the Ross Ice Shelf reveal stratified waters, active circulation, and melting. Warm seawater fuels this melting, producing Ice Shelf Water that flows into the Ross Sea.
Area of Science:
- Oceanography
- Glaciology
- Climate Science
Background:
- The Ross Ice Shelf is a critical component of the Antarctic ice sheet.
- Understanding basal melting is crucial for predicting ice shelf stability and sea-level rise.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate thermohaline properties and circulation beneath the Ross Ice Shelf.
- To quantify heat sources driving basal melting.
- To characterize the outflow of meltwater.
Main Methods:
- In-situ oceanographic measurements of temperature, salinity, and current velocity.
- Analysis of water column stratification and horizontal circulation patterns.
- Identification of heat transport pathways.
Main Results:
- Significant vertical stratification and active horizontal circulation were observed.
- Net melting at the ice shelf base was confirmed.
- Heat supply originates from southward-flowing seawater from a central warm core and a western high-salinity region.
- Near-freezing Ice Shelf Water flows northward into the Ross Sea.
Conclusions:
- Thermohaline processes beneath the Ross Ice Shelf significantly influence basal melt rates.
- The observed circulation patterns and heat sources are key drivers of ice-ocean interactions.
- The production and outflow of Ice Shelf Water have implications for Antarctic ocean circulation.
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