Bathymetry-constrained warm-mode melt estimates derived from analysing oceanic gateways in Antarctica

Nicola, Lena; Reese, Ronja; Kreuzer, Moritz; Albrecht, Torsten; Winkelmann, Ricarda

doi:https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-2263-2025

Articles | Volume 19, issue 6

https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-2263-2025

© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-2263-2025

© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 19, issue 6

Research article

|

27 Jun 2025

Research article |

| 27 Jun 2025

Bathymetry-constrained warm-mode melt estimates derived from analysing oceanic gateways in Antarctica

Lena Nicola, Ronja Reese, Moritz Kreuzer, Torsten Albrecht, and Ricarda Winkelmann

Supplement

https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-2263-2025-supplement

Data sets

Data publication for "Bathymetry-constrained impact of relative sea-level change on basal melting in Antarctica" by Kreuzer et al. 2025 (1.0) M. Kreuzer et al. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14824284

MEaSUREs BedMachine Antarctica M. Morlighem https://doi.org/10.5067/FPSU0V1MWUB6

Data from: Interannual variations in meltwater input to the Southern Ocean from Antarctic ice shelves S. Adusumilli et al. https://doi.org/10.6075/J04Q7SHT

Short summary

We identify potential oceanic gateways to Antarctic grounding lines based on high-resolution bathymetry data and examine the effect of access depths on ice-shelf melt rates. These gateways manifest the deepest topographic features that could channel warm water masses to the base of the ice sheet. We identify oceanic gateways in several Antarctic regions and estimate an upper bound of melt rate changes in case all warm water masses gain access to the cavities.