Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 4, 2025

Using Generative Art to Convey Past and Future Climate Transitions
Published on: March 31, 2023
East Antarctic warming forced by ice loss during the Last Interglacial
David K Hutchinson1,2, Laurie Menviel3,4, Katrin J Meissner3,5
1Climate Change Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia. david.hutchinson@unsw.edu.au.
Abstract:
During the Last Interglacial (LIG; 129-116 thousand years before present), the Antarctic ice sheet (AIS) was 1 to 7 m sea level equivalent smaller than at pre-industrial. Here, we assess the climatic impact of partial AIS melting at the LIG by forcing a coupled climate model with a smaller AIS and the equivalent meltwater input around the Antarctic coast. We find that changes in surface elevation induce surface warming over East Antarctica of 2 to 4 °C, and sea surface temperature (SST) increases in the Weddell and Ross Seas by up to 2 °C. Meltwater forcing causes a high latitude SST decrease and a subsurface (100-500 m) ocean temperature increase by up to 2 °C in the Ross Sea. Our results suggest that the combination of a smaller AIS and enhanced meltwater input leads to a larger sub-surface warming than meltwater alone and induces further Antarctic warming than each perturbation separately.
More Related Videos
09:06Removal of Exogenous Materials from the Outer Portion of Frozen Cores to Investigate the Ancient Biological Communities Harbored Inside
Published on: July 3, 2016
13:38Laser-Induced Fluorescence Emission L.I.F.E. as Novel Non-Invasive Tool for In-Situ Measurements of Biomarkers in Cryospheric Habitats
Published on: October 26, 2019
Related Concept Videos
Global Climate Change
Threats to Biodiversity
Phase Transitions: Melting and Freezing
Isothermal Processes
An ideal gas can also undergo isothermal expansion or compression.
For example, consider 1 mole of an ideal gas inside an isolated cylinder at initial volume V...
What is Climate?
Phase Transitions: Sublimation and Deposition