TY - CHAP
T1 - ANTARCTIC SEA-ICE
T2 - Ongoing Changes and Compelling Issues
AU - Stammerjohn, Sharon
AU - Eayrs, Clare
AU - Haumann, F. Alexander
AU - Hobbs, Will
AU - Holland, Marika
AU - Reid, Phillip
AU - Roach, Lettie A.
AU - Smith, Madison
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 selection and editorial matter, Michael P. Meredith, Jess Melbourne-Thomas. Alberto C. Naveira Garabato and Marilyn Raphael; individual chapters, the contributors.
PY - 2025/1/1
Y1 - 2025/1/1
N2 - Continuous satellite observations of Antarctic sea-ice from 1979 onward reveal a very dynamic seasonal sea-ice cover with high variability on daily-to-decadal timescales. Superimposed on this high variability was a small slow increase in monthly Antarctic sea-ice extent over the period 1979-2015. This increase in circumpolar averaged sea-ice extent consisted of either large but regionally contrasting sea-ice changes (at magnitudes equivalent to Arctic sea-ice changes) or regions showing very little change. In contrast, the last decade has been extraordinary, first punctuated by sequential record-high monthly values during 2012 to mid-2015, then suddenly record-low values in late 2016, with anomalously low to record-low monthly values persisting thus far through 2024. Here, we identify and discuss several outstanding issues, including atmospheric versus oceanic drivers, the influence of wind and waves, warming versus freshening, the role of sea-ice in mediating climate feedbacks, and the successes and challenges in modeling and predicting Antarctic sea-ice change. We conclude with a summary of outstanding questions and identify future directions.
AB - Continuous satellite observations of Antarctic sea-ice from 1979 onward reveal a very dynamic seasonal sea-ice cover with high variability on daily-to-decadal timescales. Superimposed on this high variability was a small slow increase in monthly Antarctic sea-ice extent over the period 1979-2015. This increase in circumpolar averaged sea-ice extent consisted of either large but regionally contrasting sea-ice changes (at magnitudes equivalent to Arctic sea-ice changes) or regions showing very little change. In contrast, the last decade has been extraordinary, first punctuated by sequential record-high monthly values during 2012 to mid-2015, then suddenly record-low values in late 2016, with anomalously low to record-low monthly values persisting thus far through 2024. Here, we identify and discuss several outstanding issues, including atmospheric versus oceanic drivers, the influence of wind and waves, warming versus freshening, the role of sea-ice in mediating climate feedbacks, and the successes and challenges in modeling and predicting Antarctic sea-ice change. We conclude with a summary of outstanding questions and identify future directions.
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105004499213
U2 - 10.4324/9781003406471-6
DO - 10.4324/9781003406471-6
M3 - Chapter
AN - SCOPUS:105004499213
SN - 9781032520810
SP - 115
EP - 140
BT - Antarctica and the Earth System
PB - Taylor and Francis
ER -