Summary

Surface melt on the Antarctic Ice Sheet (AIS) occurs primarily on the low-elevation coastal margins, especially on the Antarctic Peninsula and on the ice shelves surrounding the continent. It plays a small role in the total mass balance of the AIS relative to far larger contributions from snow accumulation, glacier calving, and basal melting. However, surface melting is a key measure of ice sheet and ice shelf stability. As meltwater percolates and re-freezes, it increases the density of the underlying firn, and if melt volume is sufficient, the accumulated meltwater can induce ice shelf break up (Banwell et al. 2013) and glacier acceleration through hydrofracture (Scambos et al. 2014). This section focuses on the melt season spanning 1 October 2023 through 30 April 2024. The 2024/25 Antarctic melt season will be discussed in next year's report.

Authors:Reid P. Stammerjohn S. Massom R.A. Barreira S. Scambos T. Lieser J.L. Published in: 2025 Category 1: Peer-reviewed literature Program area: Antarctic Climate
Read publication at dx.doi.org
Reid P., Stammerjohn S., Massom R.A., Barreira S., Scambos T., Lieser J.L. (2025) Sea ice extent, concentration, and seasonality in 'State of the Climate in 2024', Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society 106(8). S378-S381; doi:https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-25-0087.1;

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