Glacier tongue calving reduced dense water formation and enhanced carbon uptake

Authors / CoAuthors

Abstract

Dense water formed in the Mertz Polynya supplies the lower limb of the global overturning circulation and ventilates the abyssal Indian and Pacific Oceans. In February 2010, an 80 km section of the Mertz Glacier Tongue calved, altering the regional distribution of ice, and the polynya activity. After calving, the absolute salinity and density of dense shelf water decreased abruptly, and surface waters freshened by up to 1 g kg-1. Break-out and melt of thick multi-year sea ice, likely rich in iron, provided a favourable light and nutrient setting for a bloom of large diatoms, doubling carbon uptake relative to pre-calving conditions. These observations highlight the sensitivity of bottom water formation, biogeochemical cycles and biological productivity to changes in the Antarctic icescape.

Product Type

nonGeographicDataset

eCat Id

74126

Contact for the resource

Custodian

EGD

Point of contact

Commonwealth of Australia (Geoscience Australia)
Cnr Jerrabomberra Ave and Hindmarsh Dr GPO Box 378
Canberra
ACT
2601
Australia

Keywords

External PublicationScientific Journal Paper

( Theme )

Antarctic data

( Theme )

oceanography

( Theme )

marine

Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC)

Earth Sciences

Published_Internal

Publication Date

2012-05-28T00:00:00

Creation Date

Security Constraints

Australian Government Security ClassificationSystem

Classification - unclassified

Legal Constraints

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence

Access - restricted

Use - license

Status

Purpose

Maintenance Information

unknown

Topic Category

geoscientificInformation

Series Information

Lineage

Unknown

Parent Information

Extents

[-67.7, -65.5, 139.8, 148.5]

Reference System

Spatial Resolution

Service Information

Associations

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