A study published on May 1, 2024, in Science Advances reveals an essential procedure that had avoided scientists as to how the opening, called a polynya, was able to continue and form for a number of weeks.The team of scientists from the University of Southampton, the University of Gothenburg, and the University of California San Diego studied the Maud Rise polynya– named after the submerged mountain-like function in the Weddell Sea, over which it grows.They found the polynya was brought on by intricate interactions between the wind, ocean currents, and the unique geography of the ocean floor, transferring heat and salt toward the surface.In Antarctica, the surface of the ocean freezes over in the winter season, with sea ice covering a location about two times the size of the continental United States.In coastal locations, openings in the sea ice occur every year. It is much rarer for these polynyas to form in sea ice over the open ocean, hundreds of kilometers away from the coast where the seas are thousands of meters deep.NASA satellite image of the Maud Rise polynya.”Some of the very same processes that were included in the forming of the Maud Rise polynya, such as the upwelling of salted and deep water, are also driving a general decrease in sea ice in the Southern Ocean.Professor Gille included: “For the very first time because observations began in the 1970s, theres a negative pattern in sea ice in the Southern Ocean, which started around 2016.
Credit: Birte GülkA recent study describes the development of a large Antarctic sea ice opening by detailing the atmospheric and oceanic interactions that caused it.Researchers have discovered the missing piece of the puzzle behind an uncommon opening in the sea ice around Antarctica, which was almost two times the size of Wales and occurred during the winters of 2016 and 2017. A study released on May 1, 2024, in Science Advances exposes a key process that had avoided researchers as to how the opening, called a polynya, was able to form and persist for several weeks.The team of scientists from the University of Southampton, the University of Gothenburg, and the University of California San Diego studied the Maud Rise polynya– called after the submerged mountain-like feature in the Weddell Sea, over which it grows.They found the polynya was brought on by complicated interactions in between the wind, ocean currents, and the special location of the ocean flooring, transferring heat and salt towards the surface.In Antarctica, the surface area of the ocean freezes over in the winter season, with sea ice covering an area about two times the size of the continental United States.In seaside locations, openings in the sea ice take place every year. It is much rarer for these polynyas to form in sea ice over the open ocean, hundreds of kilometers away from the coast where the seas are thousands of meters deep.NASA satellite image of the Maud Rise polynya.”Some of the very same processes that were included in the forming of the Maud Rise polynya, such as the upwelling of salted and deep water, are likewise driving a general reduction in sea ice in the Southern Ocean.Professor Gille added: “For the very first time considering that observations began in the 1970s, theres a negative trend in sea ice in the Southern Ocean, which began around 2016.