Articles | Volume 19, issue 8
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-2837-2025
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-2837-2025
Research article
 | 
05 Aug 2025
Research article |  | 05 Aug 2025

Enhanced basal melting in winter and spring: seasonal ice–ocean interactions at the Ekström Ice Shelf, East Antarctica

Ole Zeising, Tore Hattermann, Lars Kaleschke, Sophie Berger, Olaf Boebel, Reinhard Drews, M. Reza Ershadi, Tanja Fromm, Frank Pattyn, Daniel Steinhage, and Olaf Eisen

Data sets

2005 to 2014 time series of Conductivity, Temperature, Depth (CTD) data from PALAOA sub-ice-shelf mooring below Ekström Ice Shelf, Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica Tore Hattermann et al. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.983997

Time series of autonomous phase-sensitive radar (ApRES) measurements and determined basal melt rates on Ekström Ice Shelf, Antarctica Ole Zeising et al. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.972121

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Short summary
Basal melting of ice shelves impacts the mass loss of the Antarctic Ice Sheet. This study focuses on the Ekström Ice Shelf in East Antarctica, using multiyear data from an autonomous radar system. Results show a surprising seasonal pattern of high melt rates in winter and spring. The seasonalities of sea-ice growth and ocean density indicate that, in winter, dense water enhances plume activity and melt rates. Understanding these dynamics is crucial for improving future mass balance projections.
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