| 英文摘要: | Geophys. Res. Lett. http://doi.org/tnv (2014)
The westerly winds that dominate the Southern Ocean also interact with the upper ocean. Since the 1950s, there has been a strengthening and poleward shift of the winds and the impact of these changes on the ocean and its heat distribution are uncertain. Climate change is projected to cause the trends to continue, so it is important to gain understanding of the wider impacts.
To address this knowledge gap, Paul Spence, of the University of New South Wales, Australia, and colleagues use an ocean sea-ice model to examine Antarctic coastal subsurface ocean heat changes on decadal timescales. The team consider the impact of the observed and projected wind changes.
They find the wind shift can increase subsurface (200–700 m depth) water temperatures by up to 2 °C. This is a result of decreased wind-driven vertical water movement, a slowing of the coastal current and the warm water layer moving upwards to the surface. The increase in ocean temperature around ice sheet grounding lines and beneath floating ice sheets could have significant impacts on melt rates and therefore global sea-level rise. |