Collaborative Rsearch: SAM'S Contribution to Increased Ocean Heat Content on the Continental Shelf of the Western Antarctic Peninsula

合作研究：SAM 对南极半岛西部大陆架海洋热含量增加的贡献

• 批准号: 0944211
• 负责人: Douglas Martinson
• 金额: $ 21.17万
• 依托单位: Columbia University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-08-15 至 2013-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0944211&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Rsearch; SAM; Contribution; Increased

The dynamics of a warming Southern Ocean and its interactions with Antarctic continental shelf circulation patterns brought about by the intensification of the Southern Hemisphere westerlies, circumpolar winds which prevail between 30 and 60 0 S, remains uncertain in several respects. Current global climate models (e.g. IPCC/AR4) attribute intensification of the westerlies to anthropogenic increases in greenhouse gases in the troposphere along with decreased levels of stratospheric ozone, seasonally observed as the polar ozone hole. Other dynamical oceanic processes may also be involved.This numerical and analysis project seeks to further evaluate the contribution of oceanic heat content to the accelerating warming and sub-glacial melting currently being observed in the terminal ice streams in the Amundsen and Bellingshausen Seas, and the adjacent rapidly warming Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP). Use of the Palmer Station LTER data set, which extends back to 1993, provides a observational series which in part covers the time period where changes in atmospheric circulation and air temperatures are most likely to have taken place. Use of a regional oceanic numerical model (3-D, fully dynamic) under contrasting wind regimes corresponding to observed (more positive) trends in the Southern Annular Mode will shed light on the dynamics of climate change in these sensitive continental shelf regions of the continent. The impact of melting glaciers and ice sheets on global sea level rise is an acknowledged area of uncertainty in the most recent IPCC assessment, and would be a direct impact of climate change on society in this century.

南大洋变暖的动力及其与南极大陆架环流型态的相互作用是由南半球西风带（在南纬30度至60度之间盛行的绕极风）的加强引起的，在几个方面仍然不确定。目前的全球气候模式（例如IPCC/AR4）将西风带的增强归因于对流层中温室气体的人为增加以及平流层臭氧水平的下降，季节性观测到的是极地臭氧空洞。其他海洋动力过程也可能参与其中。该数值和分析项目旨在进一步评估海洋热含量对目前在阿蒙森海和别令斯豪森海以及邻近的南极西部半岛（WAP）观测到的加速变暖和冰下融化的贡献。帕尔默站LTER数据集的使用可追溯到1993年，它提供了一个观测序列，其中部分涵盖了最有可能发生大气环流和气温变化的时间段。在与观测到的（更积极的）南环模趋势相对应的对比风况下，使用区域海洋数值模式（3-D，完全动态），将阐明这些敏感大陆架区域的气候变化动力学。在IPCC最近的评估中，冰川和冰盖融化对全球海平面上升的影响是公认的不确定领域，这将是本世纪气候变化对社会的直接影响。