Satellite Studies of Interactions Between Antarctic Circumpolar Current Eddies and Sea Ice

Abstract:

Wintertime sea ice extent around Antarctica has shown a positive trend during at least the past decade. The maximum northward expansion of sea ice is likely to be limited by the strong ocean temperature gradients associated with fronts of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC). The ACC is, however, very dynamically unstable, with mesoscale eddies accounting for a large fraction of the variance in surface currents and sea surface temperature (SST). We combine satellite-observed sea-ice concentration, SST, and geostrophic eddy velocities to explore the hypothesis that dynamic and thermodynamic interactions between mesoscale eddies and sea ice exert an additional influence on the location of the winter sea ice margin. Advancing sea ice develops meridional deviations at horizontal scales of ~100 km, lengthening the perimeter of the ice-covered area by 30-70%. In many cases, this “scalloping” of the ice margin can be attributed to advection by eddy velocities. The effect varies regionally, depending on the proximity of the ice edge to the ACC. From the Amundsen Sea eastward through the Drake Passage the southern limit of eddy variability coincides with the northernmost extent of sea ice, and scalloping is common. By deforming the ice margin, eddies increase the potential for ice-edge melting and destruction by Southern Ocean surface wave action, while eddy-driven ice advection modifies the mean thermodynamic exchanges responsible for mass loss from the base of the ice pack. We use observations and models to estimate sea-ice loss caused by eddy/ice interactions.