<
https://theconversation.com/fractured-foundations-how-antarcticas-landfast-ice-is-dwindling-and-why-thats-bad-news-207814>
"There’s more to Antarctic ice than meets the eye. Sea ice is not a uniform
crust overlying the salty Southern Ocean.
Our new research is the first to review the many crucial roles of “landfast”
sea ice around Antarctica. Landfast ice is frozen seawater that is fastened to
the coast. It acts like a belt around the Antarctic coast, regulating the flow
of ice shelves and glaciers into the sea. And it’s crucial habitat for Weddell
seals and emperor penguins.
Satellites can easily estimate the horizontal extent of sea ice, but
determining the type of ice is far more difficult. Our deeper analysis of
satellite images reveals landfast sea ice extent declined to a record low of
just 123,200 square km in March 2022. That’s well below the normal March range
of 168,600-295,200 square km.
Much of the ice lost in 2022 had been present since 2000, when high-quality
records began. If this trend persists, the consequences for the climate and for
Southern Ocean ecosystems could be catastrophic."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
