Publications database

The Environmental Effects Assessment Panel of the Montreal Protocol under the United Nations Environment Programme evaluates effects on the environment and human health that arise from changes in the stratospheric ozone layer and concomitant variations in ultraviolet (UV)…

The long-held view that the East Antarctic margin is isolated from warm offshore waters has been challenged by recent observations showing incursions of warm modified Circumpolar Deep Water (mCDW) reaching several East Antarctic ice shelves. However…

Human-caused climate change worsens with every increment of additional warming, although some impacts can develop abruptly. The potential for abrupt changes is far less understood in the Antarctic compared with the Arctic, but evidence is emerging for rapid…

Newly formed sea ice can incorporate considerable amounts of organic matter including phytoplankton during its freezing and growth. This initial incorporation influences the standing stocks of ice algae, a fundamental component of high-latitude marine ecosystems.

Southern Ocean (SO) air is amongst the most pristine on Earth, particularly during winter. Historically, there has been a focus on biogenic sources as an explanation for the seasonal cycle in cloud condensation nuclei concentrations (NCCN). NCCN is also sensitive to the strength of sink terms…

Cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) play a fundamental role in determining the microphysical properties of low-level clouds that are crucial for defining the energy budget over the Southern Ocean (SO). However, many aspects of the CCN budget over the SO remains poorly understood…

The impact that biogenic emissions have on aerosol-cloud interactions across the Southern Ocean is poorly quantified. Here we use satellite and ship observations during austral summer to study these interactions.

Antarctic sea ice performs important roles in the climate system through the formation of dense oxygen rich Antarctic Bottom Water (Johnson 2008) and modulating fluxes across the ocean/atmosphere interface within the high southern latitudes (Bourassa et al. 2013).

The Southern Ocean is disproportionately important in its effect on the Earth system, impacting climatic, biogeochemical, and ecological systems, which makes recent observed changes to this system cause for global concern.

Satellite-derived Antarctic sea ice extent has displayed a slight upward since 1979, but with strong temporal and regional variability—the drivers of which are poorly understood. Here, we conduct numerical experiments with a circum-Antarctic ocean–sea ice…

Overall Antarctic sea ice extent in the 2016 spring attained a record minimum for the satellite period (1979–2016), presenting an abrupt departure from the record maxima in previous years and the slight upward trend since 1979.

The spreading of dense shelf water (DSW) from Antarctic coastal margins to lower latitudes plays a vital role in the ocean thermohaline circulation and the global climate system. Through enhanced localized sea ice production in Antarctic coastal polynyas…

In contrast to a strong decrease in Arctic sea ice extent, overall Antarctic sea ice extent has modestly increased since 1979. Several hypotheses have been proposed for the net Antarctic sea ice expansion, including atmosphere/ocean circulation and temperature changes…

Ocean–cryosphere interactions along the Adélie and George V Land (AGVL) coast are investigated using a coupled ocean–sea ice–ice shelf model. The dominant feature of the Mertz Glacier Tongue (MGT), located at approximately 145°E, was a highly productive winter coastal polynya system…

Over the past 37 years, satellite records show an increase in Antarctic sea ice cover that is most pronounced in the period of sea ice growth. This trend is dominated by increased sea ice coverage in the western Ross Sea, and is mitigated by a strong decrease in the Bellingshausen and Amundsen seas.

This editorial introduces a suite of articles resulting from the second Sea Ice Physics and Ecosystems eXperiment (SIPEX-2) voyage by presenting some background information on the study area and Antarctic sea-ice conditions, and summarising the key findings from the project.

The Antarctic marginal ice zone (MIZ) is a highly dynamic region where sea ice interacts with ocean surface waves generated in ice-free areas of the Southern Ocean. Improved large-scale (satellite-based) estimates of MIZ extent and variability are crucial for understanding atmosphere–ice…

Abstract: This paper updates the SIOFA Scientific Committee on Australia's bottom fishing impact assessment for the SIOFA area.