| Title | Holocene sea ice variability driven by wind and polynya efficiency in the Ross Sea |
|---|---|
| Publication Type | Articolo su Rivista peer-reviewed |
| Year of Publication | 2017 |
| Authors | Mezgec, K., Stenni B., Crosta X., Masson-Delmotte V., Baroni C., Braida M., Ciardini Virginia, Colizza E., Melis R., Salvatore M.C., Severi M., Scarchilli Claudio, Traversi R., Udisti R., and Frezzotti M. |
| Journal | Nature Communications |
| Volume | 8 |
| ISSN | 20411723 |
| Keywords | Abundance, alga, article, coastal water, diatom, environmental change, fauna, Fish, Fragilariopsis curta, Fragilariopsis cylindrus, Holocene, Ice core, ice core record, interglacial, isotope, isotopic analysis, marine environment, Nitzschia alba, nonhuman, open ocean, penguin, pinniped, Pinnipedia, polynya, Ross Sea, sea, Sea ice, sea salt, seabird, Sodium, Southern Ocean, spatial variation, Spheniscidae, stable isotope, surface water, temporal record, Thalassiosira, Thysanura, Water, wind, wind forcing |
| Abstract | The causes of the recent increase in Antarctic sea ice extent, characterised by large regional contrasts and decadal variations, remain unclear. In the Ross Sea, where such a sea ice increase is reported, 50% of the sea ice is produced within wind-sustained latent-heat polynyas. Combining information from marine diatom records and sea salt sodium and water isotope ice core records, we here document contrasting patterns in sea ice variations between coastal and open sea areas in Western Ross Sea over the current interglacial period. Since about 3600 years before present, an increase in the efficiency of regional latent-heat polynyas resulted in more coastal sea ice, while sea ice extent decreased overall. These past changes coincide with remarkable optima or minima in the abundances of penguins, silverfish and seal remains, confirming the high sensitivity of marine ecosystems to environmental and especially coastal sea ice conditions. © 2017 The Author(s). |
| Notes | cited By 39 |
| URL | https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85032892223&doi=10.1038%2fs41467-017-01455-x&partnerID=40&md5=6fcd1a95b59e28b21569789fca9a326b |
| DOI | 10.1038/s41467-017-01455-x |
| Citation Key | Mezgec2017 |
