McGill University Study Suggests Oceans' Heat Trapped Beneath Weddell Sea Ice Shelf
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According to the research, increased precipitation in the Southern Ocean and the melting of glaciers on Antarctica as a result of climate change has flooded the ocean with massive amounts of freshwater, preventing the warm water underneath from rising to the top. The deep ocean is like the “basement of the climate system” and without polynya, “there’s a trapped door to the basement,” Galbraith said.
Working alongside researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, McGill researchers analyzed measurements conducted over a 60-year period by ships and robotic floats in the ocean around Antarctica.
Their study, published on Mar. 2 in the journal Nature Climate Change, shows that the deep ocean heat, trapped under a freshwater lid, has been unable to escape and melt the Antarctic ice pack that forms in the winter.
“Deep ocean waters only mix directly to the surface in a few small regions of the global ocean,” lead author Casimir de Lavergne said in a statement. “So this has effectively shut one of the main conduits for deep ocean heat to escape.” While Galbraith says there hasn’t been any immediate impact on marine life, having a “trapped door” cuts off the oxygen supply to species in the deep ocean.
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http://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/climate-change-is-preventing-ocean-heat-from-escaping-in-antarctica-mcgill-study-1.1710449