Abstract
The Ross Sea, Antarctica plays an important role in the formation of Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW) which is the densest water mass in global thermohaline circulation. Of the AABW, 25% is formed in the Ross Sea, and sea ice formation at the polynya (ice-free area) developed in front of ice shelves of the Ross Sea is considered as a pivotal mechanism for AABW production. For this reason, monitoring the Ross Sea variations is very important to understand changes of global thermohaline circulation influenced by climate change. In addition, the Ross Sea is also regarded as a natural laboratory in investigating ice-ocean interactions owing to the development of the polynya. In this article, I introduce characteristics of the Ross Sea described in previous observational studies, and investigate variations that have occurred in the Ross Sea in the past and those taking place in the present. Furthermore, based on these observational results, I outline variations or changes that can be anticipated in the Ross Sea in the future, and make an appeal to researchers regarding the importance and necessity of continuous observations in the Ross Sea.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 69-82 |
| Number of pages | 14 |
| Journal | Ocean and Polar Research |
| Volume | 44 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 2022 |
Keywords
- Antarctic Bottom Water
- climate change
- polynya
- Ross Sea
- salinity of shelf water
