Multi-model estimate of Antarctic ice-shelf basal mass budget and ocean drivers
Galton-Fenzi, B. K., Porter-Smith, R., Cook, S., Cougnon, E., Gwyther, D. E., Huneke, W. G. C., Rosevear, M. G., Asay-Davis, X., Boeira Dias, F., Dinniman, M. S., Holland, D., Kusahara, K., Naughten, K. A., Nicholls, K. W., Pelletier, C., Richter, O., Seroussi, H., and Timmermann, R.: Multi-model estimate of Antarctic ice-shelf basal mass budget and ocean drivers, The Cryosphere, 19, 6507–6525, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-6507-2025, 2025.
Summary: Quantifying melt and freeze beneath Antarctica’s floating ice shelves is vital to understanding present-day ice-sheet behavior and its potential to contribute to future sea-level rise. In this research article, scientists compare 10 ice-shelf/ocean computer simulations with satellite data, providing the first multi-model estimate of melting and refreezing driven by the ocean. This new estimate offers a valuable tool for assessing ice-shelf roles in current and future ice-sheet changes, informing coastal adaptation strategies.
Support was provided by the World Climate Research Programme’s Climate & Cryosphere (CliC) core project, the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics International Association for Cryospheric Sciences (IUGG IACS), and the Southern Ocean Observing System (SOOS).
