Project information
Project aim
Australia is one of the most climate-exposed developed countries. Feedbacks between ocean and cryosphere can alter the pace and impacts of climate change. In Antarctica these feedbacks occur through exchange between the open ocean and the continental shelf. This exchange controls basal melt, abyssal ventilation, sea ice, and marine ecosystem structure around the Antarctic margin. The sparse observational records suggest the ocean and cryosphere in East Antarctica are changing. However, it is unclear if this change will be long term and self-sustaining. Progress in predicting future ocean-cryosphere change has been slow due to a lack of understanding of the processes that govern cross-shelf exchange. This project will observe the properties and variability on the continental shelf and slope in Vincennes Bay, East Antarctica. Combined with state-of-the-art models, the observations will help constrain the properties on the continental shelf and improve predictions of the ocean-cryosphere