Researchers demonstrate new link between greenhouse gases and sea level rise

The Amundsen Sea in West Antarctica has a long-term warming effect on greenhouse gases. Scientists from the British Antarctic Survey say that no one has been able to demonstrate the link.

The Amundsen Sea is home to one of the fastest growing ice sheets in the world. Sea levels could rise by up to three meters if the West Antarctic Ice Sheet were to melt. The Amundsen Sea has lost ice over the past hundred years, but scientific observations of the region began in 1994.

Oceanographers used advanced computer modeling to model the ocean's response to a range of possible changes in the atmosphere.

Over the century, the Amundsen Sea became warmer. Warming is related to trends in wind patterns in the region that increase temperatures by driving warm water currents towards and beneath the ice. The trend in winds is thought to be caused by human activity, as rising greenhouse gases are known to make these wind patterns more likely.

The study supports theories that the Amundsen Sea's ocean temperatures have been rising. It provides the missing link between ocean warming and wind trends that are partly driven by greenhouse gases. If greenhouse gas emissions increase, ocean temperatures will probably rise, with consequences for ice melt and global sea levels. If emissions are reduced and wind patterns are stable, this trend could be curbed.

Our simulations show how the Amundsen Sea responds to long-term trends in the atmosphere, specifically the Southern Hemisphere westerly winds. We know that the winds are affected by greenhouse gases. It shows that sea level rise is not out of our control and should give us hope.

Professor Paul Holland, ocean and ice scientist at BAS and a co-author of the study, says that changes in the Southern Hemisphere westerly winds are a well-established climate response to the effect of greenhouse gases. The Amundsen Sea is subject to strong natural climate variability. The simulations suggest that both natural and anthropogenic changes are to blame for the loss of ice from the West Antarctic Ice Sheet.

More information: Kaitlin A. Naughten et al, Simulated Twentieth‐Century Ocean Warming in the Amundsen Sea, West Antarctica, Geophysical Research Letters (2022). DOI: 10.1029/2021GL094566 Journal information: Geophysical Research Letters Citation: Researchers demonstrate new link between greenhouse gases and sea level rise (2022, April 5) retrieved 6 April 2022 from https://phys.org/news/2022-04-link-greenhouse-gases-sea.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.