Articles | Volume 20, issue 7
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-4117-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-4117-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Evolution of Maud Rise Polynya during the last 250 years – a multiproxy ice core reconstruction from coastal Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica
National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), Ministry of Earth Sciences, Vasco da Gama, Goa 403804, India
Physics of Ice, Climate and Earth, Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen N 2200, Denmark
Chavarukonam M. Laluraj
National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), Ministry of Earth Sciences, Vasco da Gama, Goa 403804, India
Kenichi Matsuoka
Norwegian Polar Institute, Framsentret, Postboks 6606, Langnes, 9296 Tromsø, Norway
Ashish Paiguinkar
National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), Ministry of Earth Sciences, Vasco da Gama, Goa 403804, India
Bhikaji L. Redkar
National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), Ministry of Earth Sciences, Vasco da Gama, Goa 403804, India
Meloth Thamban
National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), Ministry of Earth Sciences, Vasco da Gama, Goa 403804, India
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A study of two glacierised Himalayan catchments reveals that the summer runoff from the glacierised parts of the catchments responds strongly to temperature forcing and is stable to precipitation forcing, while that of the non-glacierised parts has an exactly opposite behaviour. The pattern of changes in mean runoff and its variability under a warming climate is determined by the response of glaciers to temperature forcing, and that of off-glacier areas to precipitation perturbations.
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Short summary
We present a 250-year reconstruction of the Maud Rise Polynya opening, using an ice core collected from coastal Antarctica. This polynya is considered a rare phenomenon in the Weddell Sea, with only two well-documented openings since the 1970s. However, our 250-year record reveals numerous past polynya events, including occurrences possibly comparable in scale to the Great Weddell Polynya of 1974–1976, suggesting that these openings are a part of the Southern Ocean's natural variability.
We present a 250-year reconstruction of the Maud Rise Polynya opening, using an ice core...