Centre for Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK.
Centre for Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, School of Mathematics, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK.
Nat Commun. 2017 Feb 17;8:14507. doi: 10.1038/ncomms14507.
Pine Island Glacier (PIG) terminates in a rapidly melting ice shelf, and ocean circulation and temperature are implicated in the retreat and growing contribution to sea level rise of PIG and nearby glaciers. However, the variability of the ocean forcing of PIG has been poorly constrained due to a lack of multi-year observations. Here we show, using a unique record close to the Pine Island Ice Shelf (PIIS), that there is considerable oceanic variability at seasonal and interannual timescales, including a pronounced cold period from October 2011 to May 2013. This variability can be largely explained by two processes: cumulative ocean surface heat fluxes and sea ice formation close to PIIS; and interannual reversals in ocean currents and associated heat transport within Pine Island Bay, driven by a combination of local and remote forcing. Local atmospheric forcing therefore plays an important role in driving oceanic variability close to PIIS.
派恩艾兰冰川（PIG）终止于一个迅速融化的冰架，海洋循环和温度与 PIG 和附近冰川的退缩以及海平面上升的贡献增加有关。然而，由于缺乏多年的观测，PIG 的海洋强迫的可变性受到了严重限制。在这里，我们使用靠近派恩艾兰冰架（PIIS）的独特记录表明，在季节性和年际时间尺度上存在相当大的海洋可变性，包括 2011 年 10 月至 2013 年 5 月的明显寒冷期。这种可变性可以主要归因于两个过程：PIIS 附近的海洋表面热通量和海冰形成的累积；以及由局部和远程强迫共同驱动的，在派恩艾兰湾内的海流和相关热输运的年际反转。因此，当地大气强迫在驱动 PIIS 附近的海洋变率方面起着重要作用。
