The compounding impacts of Sea-Ice Deficits: A Global Perspective

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• Petra Heil, University of Tasmania
• Tuesday 07 January 2025, 11:00-12:00
• BAS Seminar Room 1.

If you have a question about this talk, please contact Dr Birgit Rogalla.

Sea ice plays a crucial role in the global Earth system, including regulation of temperatures, ocean-atmosphere exchange and ocean circulation. In the recent decades we have witnessed significant declines in Arctic and Antarctic sea ice including its thickness, albeit with stark hemispheric differences. These changes have far-reaching consequences for marine ecosystems, atmospheric circulation patterns, and global climate. I will discuss insights on Antarctic sea ice with focus on multifaceted impacts of sea-ice deficits, examining how these changes are interconnected. The complexity of sea-ice processes across scales and global pathways result in compounding effects of changing sea ice across the planet. Polar amplification intensifies the feedback loop between sea ice and the atmosphere, influencing atmospheric circulation patterns, with initial evidence to lead to more frequent and intense extreme weather events. This warming is also associated with the marine polar albedo feedback loop, preferentially concentrating ocean warming to the polar latitudes. The erosion of the Southern Ocean sea ice, partially driven by increased energy in the lower atmosphere, has been detrimental to the seasonal duration of sea ice including near coastal sea ice, and compounding in glacial melt and ice-shelf instability. A cascading effect of reduced sea-ice formation directly modifies the ocean signature impacting water-mass formation, ocean circulation as well as oceanic heat transport and nutrient distribution with global reach. Reduced and thinner sea ice also presents a habitat loss threatening marine biodiversity. The wider scientific community has provided a wealth of knowledge on sea ice and its role in the Earth system. However, the improved understanding highlights the complexity of polar processes and identifies further knowledge gaps, as well as how scientific information is used to better assess the risks associated with sea-ice decline and to identify (near-) immediate tangible mitigation strategies. To conclude I will provide an outlook to upcoming international and cross-disciplinary initiatives; considerations around methods and inclusivity; and the need to co-design these with view on societal pressures to ensure maximum impact and information uptake in policy decisions.

This talk is part of the British Antarctic Survey - Polar Oceans seminar series series.

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