Intrinsically Episodic Antarctic Shelf Intrusions of Circumpolar Deep Water via Canyons

Abstract

The structure of the Antarctic Slope Current at the continental shelf is crucial in governing the poleward transport of warm water. Canyons on the continental slope may provide a pathway for warm water to cross the slope current and in-trude onto the continental shelf underneath ice shelves, which can increase rates of ice shelf melting, leading to reduced buttressing of ice shelves, accelerating glacial flow and hence increased sea level rise. Observations and modeling studies of the Antarctic Slope Current and cross-shelf warm water intrusions are limited, particularly in the East Antarctica region. To ex-plore this topic, an idealized configuration of the Antarctic Slope Current is develo..