EGU25-4501, updated on 14 Mar 2025
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-4501
EGU General Assembly 2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Oral |
Tuesday, 29 Apr, 09:10–09:20 (CEST) Room L3
What is happening in the Ross Sea?
- 1University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom of Great Britain – England, Scotland, Wales (a.silvano@soton.ac.uk)
- 2Dipartimento di Scienze Matematiche e Informatiche, Scienze Fisiche e Scienze della Terra, Università degli Studi di Messina, Messina, Italy
- 3he Department of Engineering for Innovation, National Institute of Technology (KOSEN), Tomakomai College, Tomakomai, 059–1275, Japan
The Ross Sea has been freshening for the last > 60 years, likely driven by increased melting of the Antarctic Ice Sheet. This freshening has caused a decrease in the formation of Antarctic Bottom Water and reduced abyssal ventilation. However, over the past years there has been a reversal of this trend. This unexpected change challenges our understanding of the Ross Sea, questioning 1) whether the freshening will resume in coming years and 2) what the drivers of salinity variability are. Here we combine modelling, in situ and satellite observations to show the role of different freshwater sources in explaining seasonal to multidecadal salinity variability. We conclude by suggesting possible future directions for better understanding the Ross Sea and how it might change in a warming world.
How to cite: Silvano, A., Castagno, P., and Nihashi, S.: What is happening in the Ross Sea? , EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-4501, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-4501, 2025.
