Ukrainian scientists discover the cause of localized glacial melting in Antarctica

Ukrainian meteorologists have found that an atypical hot core in the atmosphere may be the cause  of the rapid melting of some glaciers  in the Antarctic. This is reported by the National Antarctic Science Center, UNN reports .

Details 

It is noted that the hot core in the atmosphere is formed by the superposition of two streams of warm air. 

This conclusion was reached by meteorologists at the National Antarctic Research Center as part of the PolarRES project: Research on the Future of the Polar Climate. It has been going on for several years and is funded by the EU's Horizon 2020 program. In the project, our scientists are studying extreme warming and precipitation in the Antarctic

Denys Pyshniak, head of the Department of Atmospheric Physics and Geocosmos at the National Academy of Sciences, explained that scientists are studying the physical mechanisms of extreme warming at different scales, as well as in the perspective of climate change. First of all, scientists are focused on explaining the formation of "hot spots" - certain areas of the Antarctic coast where glaciers are melting much faster than in neighboring areas.

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It is noted that an extremely large number of factors influence the melting (namely, the decrease in height) of the ice sheet, The study showed that the contribution of atmospheric processes is very significant

In particular, it was found that during warming in the area of the Pine Island and Thwaites glaciers, an atypical hot core is formed in the atmosphere.

Scientists obtained this result in early 2023 and suggested that this core is the main cause of localized melting of the mentioned glaciers. Therefore, subsequent research was aimed at explaining the mechanism of formation of the hot core of the atmosphere and the ways of heat transfer to the glacier surface.

Then scientists discovered an unexpected feature. In areas of localized warming, a flow of warm, moist air from the north is superimposed on a warm fen (dry) flow from the east. As a result, a thick layer of warm air is formed, firstly, and, secondly, precipitation in the form of snow is formed (due to the forced rise of moist air over the drier air, as well as over the continental slope)

SEE ALSO: World passes key warming threshold at such a rate that it has alarmed scientists - BBC

Addendum

Scientists admit that this heavy snow has time to melt and turn into warm rain as it falls. That is, precipitation probably takes heat from the warm part of the surface atmosphere and transfers it to the surface of the glaciers.

In addition, rain makes the snow cover darker and absorbs more light and infrared radiation, which also accelerates its melting.

The research center emphasizes that the question of how these processes will change if the atmosphere becomes a little warmer is relevant. The scientists hope to get answers to these questions during the next year of cooperation.

To recap

At COP28, Ukrainian scientists reported record high temperatures and minimal ice cover at the Akademik Vernadsky station in Antarctica, emphasizing serious climate anomalies and their impact on wildlife.

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