From the Surface to the Stratosphere: Large-Scale Atmospheric Response to Antarctic Meltwater

Abstract

The ocean response to Antarctic Ice Sheet (AIS) mass loss has been extensively studied using numerical models, but less attention has been given to the atmosphere. We examine the global atmospheric response to AIS meltwater in an ensemble of experiments performed using two fully coupled climate models under a pre-industrial climate. In response to AIS meltwater, the experiments yield cooling from the surface to the tropopause over the subpolar Southern Ocean, warming in the Southern Hemisphere polar stratosphere, and cooling in the upper tropical troposphere. Positive feedbacks, initiated by disrupted ocean-atmosphere heat exchange, result in a change in the top-of-atmosphere radiative balance caused primarily through surface and near-surface albedo changes. Changes in the atmospheric thermal structure alter the jet streams aloft. The results highlight the global influence of AIS melting on the climate system and the potential for impacts on mid-latitude climate patterns and delayed regional warming signals.