Researchers find tidal effects drive melting under Antarctica's Ross Ice Shelf

14 articles · Updated · The Conversation · Apr 28

A 2019 expedition deployed hydrographic instruments at the Kamb Ice Stream grounding zone, collecting nine months of data on currents, temperature, and salinity beneath the Ross Ice Shelf.
The study reveals the ocean cavity is stratified, with tidal cycles and internal waves mixing warmer water upward, accelerating melting of the ice shelf's underside and challenging previous assumptions of thermal stability.
These findings suggest that even Antarctica's most remote ice shelves are vulnerable to climate-driven ocean warming, highlighting the need for further research on how heat reaches and affects the continent's hidden ocean cavities.

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