Behaviour and dive times of Arnoux's beaked whales, Berardius arnuxii, at narrow leads in fast ice

1996 ◽  
Vol 74 (2) ◽  
pp. 388-393 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. P. Hobson ◽  
A. R. Martin
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Antarctic Peninsula ◽  
Austral Summer ◽  
Food Resources ◽  
Breath Hold ◽  
Beaked Whale ◽  
Horizontal Movement ◽  
Beaked Whales ◽  
Fast Ice ◽  
The Antarctic

Groups of the little-known Arnoux's beaked whale, Berardius arnuxii, were observed at narrow cracks or leads in sea ice near the Antarctic peninsula during the austral summer of 1992–1993. The whales were grey, had a slightly asymmetric blowhole and blow, and were heavily scarred in adulthood. At least 30 animals were uniquely identified using their scars. Despite often cramped conditions at the breathing holes, the whales were always calm and nonaggressive, reacting to the circumstances with surfacing and submerging behaviour involving little horizontal movement. Seventy dive durations by 17 identified adults were recorded, with a mode of 35–65 min and a maximum of at least 70 min. Eight periods of respiration varied between 1.2 and 6.8 min, with an average of 9.6 blows/min. These breath-hold characteristics confirm B. arnuxii as one of the most accomplished mammalian divers, capable of swimming up to an estimated 7 km between breathing sites in sea ice. Whales moved to and from the observed lead, apparently able to find other breathing sites in what appeared to be unbroken ice. The species seems well adapted to life in ice-covered waters and may be able to exploit food resources inaccessible to other predators in the region.

scholarly journals An Assessment of ERA5 Reanalysis for Antarctic Near-Surface Air Temperature

Atmosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 217
Author(s):  
Jiangping Zhu ◽  
Aihong Xie ◽  
Xiang Qin ◽  
Yetang Wang ◽  
Bing Xu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Linear Relationship ◽  
Antarctic Peninsula ◽  
Austral Summer ◽  
Correlation Coefficients ◽  
East Antarctica ◽  
West Antarctica ◽  
Austral Spring ◽  
Reanalysis Dataset ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
The Antarctic

The European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) released its latest reanalysis dataset named ERA5 in 2017. To assess the performance of ERA5 in Antarctica, we compare the near-surface temperature data from ERA5 and ERA-Interim with the measured data from 41 weather stations. ERA5 has a strong linear relationship with monthly observations, and the statistical significant correlation coefficients (p < 0.05) are higher than 0.95 at all stations selected. The performance of ERA5 shows regional differences, and the correlations are high in West Antarctica and low in East Antarctica. Compared with ERA5, ERA-Interim has a slightly higher linear relationship with observations in the Antarctic Peninsula. ERA5 agrees well with the temperature observations in austral spring, with significant correlation coefficients higher than 0.90 and bias lower than 0.70 °C. The temperature trend from ERA5 is consistent with that from observations, in which a cooling trend dominates East Antarctica and West Antarctica, while a warming trend exists in the Antarctic Peninsula except during austral summer. Generally, ERA5 can effectively represent the temperature changes in Antarctica and its three subregions. Although ERA5 has bias, ERA5 can play an important role as a powerful tool to explore the climate change in Antarctica with sparse in situ observations.

scholarly journals Horizontal Movement of Fast Ice in the North Water Area

1977 ◽  
Vol 19 (81) ◽  
pp. 547-554 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hajime Ito ◽  
Fritz Müller
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Water Area ◽  
Physical Characteristics ◽  
Stress Strain ◽  
Horizontal Movement ◽  
The North ◽  
North Water ◽  
Fast Ice ◽  
External Forces

AbstractThe understanding of the horizontal movement of fast ice is important for applied sea-ice mechanics. A case study, carried out in conjunction with a polynya known as North Water, is presented in this paper. The displacements of the fast-ire arches which separate the polynya from the surrounding ice-covered sea, were measured and found to be small. It is, therefore, confirmed that these arches prevent the influx of large quantities of sea ice into the polynya. The results are then explained in terms of the external forces (wind and current), the stress- strain situations and some physical characteristics (temperature and thickness) which were measured simultaneously.

scholarly journals Climate change in the western Antarctic Peninsula since 1945: observations and possible causes

1998 ◽  
Vol 27 ◽  
pp. 571-575 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. C. King ◽  
S. A. Harangozo
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Atmospheric Circulation ◽  
Antarctic Peninsula ◽  
The West ◽  
Sea Ice Extent ◽  
The North ◽  
Ultimate Cause ◽  
Temperature Records ◽  
High Level ◽  
The Antarctic

Temperature records from slations on the west roast of the Antarctic Peninsula show a very high level of interannual variability and, over the last 50 years, larger warming trends than are seen elsewhere in Antarctica. in this paper we investigate the role of atmospheric circulation variability and sea-ice extent variations in driving these changes. Owing to a lack of independent data, the reliability of Antarctic atmospheric analyses produced in the 1950s and 1960s cannot be readily established, but examination of the available data suggests that there has been an increase in the northerly component of the circulation over the Peninsula since the late 1950s. Few observations of sea-ice extent are available prior to 1973, but the limited data available indicate that the ice edge to the west of the Peninsula lay to the north of recently observed extremes during the very cold conditions prevailing in the late 1950s. The ultimate cause of the atmospheric-circulation changes remains to be determined and may lie outside the Antarctic region.

scholarly journals Influence of Seasonal Environmental Variables on the Distribution of Presumptive Fecal Coliforms around an Antarctic Research Station

2003 ◽  
Vol 69 (8) ◽  
pp. 4884-4891 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin A. Hughes
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Solar Radiation ◽  
Sea Ice ◽  
Fecal Coliform ◽  
Algal Blooms ◽  
Austral Summer ◽  
Fecal Coliforms ◽  
Late Winter ◽  
Research Station ◽  
The Antarctic

ABSTRACT Factors affecting fecal microorganism survival and distribution in the Antarctic marine environment include solar radiation, water salinity, temperature, sea ice conditions, and fecal input by humans and local wildlife populations. This study assessed the influence of these factors on the distribution of presumptive fecal coliforms around Rothera Point, Adelaide Island, Antarctic Peninsula during the austral summer and winter of February 1999 to September 1999. Each factor had a different degree of influence depending on the time of year. In summer (February), although the station population was high, presumptive fecal coliform concentrations were low, probably due to the biologically damaging effects of solar radiation. However, summer algal blooms reduced penetration of solar radiation into the water column. By early winter (April), fecal coliform concentrations were high, due to increased fecal input by migrant wildlife, while solar radiation doses were low. By late winter (September), fecal coliform concentrations were high near the station sewage outfall, as sea ice formation limited solar radiation penetration into the sea and prevented wind-driven water circulation near the outfall. During this study, environmental factors masked the effect of station population numbers on sewage plume size. If sewage production increases throughout the Antarctic, environmental factors may become less significant and effective sewage waste management will become increasingly important. These findings highlight the need for year-round monitoring of fecal coliform distribution in Antarctic waters near research stations to produce realistic evaluations of sewage pollution persistence and dispersal.

scholarly journals Albedo of the ice covered Weddell and Bellingshausen Seas

2012 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 479-491 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. I. Weiss ◽  
J. C. King ◽  
T. A. Lachlan-Cope ◽  
R. S. Ladkin
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Surface Albedo ◽  
Austral Summer ◽  
Open Water ◽  
Weddell Sea ◽  
First Year ◽  
Pack Ice ◽  
Bellingshausen Sea ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Antarctic

Abstract. This study investigates the surface albedo of the sea ice areas adjacent to the Antarctic Peninsula during the austral summer. Aircraft measurements of the surface albedo, which were conducted in the sea ice areas of the Weddell and Bellingshausen Seas show significant differences between these two regions. The averaged surface albedo varied between 0.13 and 0.81. The ice cover of the Bellingshausen Sea consisted mainly of first year ice and the sea surface showed an averaged sea ice albedo of αi = 0.64 ± 0.2 (± standard deviation). The mean sea ice albedo of the pack ice area in the western Weddell Sea was αi = 0.75 ± 0.05. In the southern Weddell Sea, where new, young sea ice prevailed, a mean albedo value of αi = 0.38 ± 0.08 was observed. Relatively warm open water and thin, newly formed ice had the lowest albedo values, whereas relatively cold and snow covered pack ice had the highest albedo values. All sea ice areas consisted of a mixture of a large range of different sea ice types. An investigation of commonly used parameterizations of albedo as a function of surface temperature in the Weddell and Bellingshausen Sea ice areas showed that the albedo parameterizations do not work well for areas with new, young ice.

Spectral linear mixing model applied to data from passive microwave radiometers for sea ice mapping in the Antarctic Peninsula

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-27
Author(s):  
Fernando Luis Hillebrand ◽  
Ulisses Franz Bremer ◽  
Marcos Wellausen Dias de Freitas ◽  
Juliana Costi ◽  
Cláudio Wilson Mendes Júnior ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Antarctic Peninsula ◽  
Mixing Model ◽  
Passive Microwave ◽  
Linear Mixing Model ◽  
Microwave Radiometers ◽  
The Antarctic

scholarly journals Hot-Water Drilling in the Antarctic Peninsula (Abstract)

1988 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
pp. 215
Author(s):  
S. Cooper
Keyword(s):  
Antarctic Peninsula ◽  
Temperature Sensors ◽  
Back Pressure ◽  
Hot Water ◽  
Ice Shelves ◽  
Pilot Hole ◽  
Fast Ice ◽  
Drilling System ◽  
The Antarctic ◽  
Practical Field

The British Antarctic Survey has developed a hot-water drilling system used chiefly for installing temperature sensors through ice shelves and for retrieving oceanographic equipment tethered through thick fast ice. The specification, design and operation of the drill for these two activities will be discussed and practical field problems will be highlighted. A novel aspect of the design is the use of reaming nozzles to enlarge a pilot hole. These nozzles eject water upwards along the surface of the nozzle cone, and drill most efficiently when they hang free and unsupported by the sides of the pilot hole. The nozzles incorporate a nozzle-mounted valve, activated when the nozzle cone contacts the ice, thus increasing the back pressure of the water flow. The pressure increase is monitored at the surface and the winch speed is reduced accordingly in order to ensure an efficient drilling operation.

Recent and near future climate change in the Antarctic Peninsula

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deniz Bozkurt ◽  
David H. Bromwich ◽  
Roberto Rondanelli
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sea Ice ◽  
Antarctic Peninsula ◽  
Future Climate ◽  
Future Climate Change ◽  
Climate Change Projections ◽  
Domain Configuration ◽  
Increasing Trend ◽  
The Antarctic ◽  
Near Future

&lt;p&gt;This study assesses the recent (1990-2015) and near future (2020-2045) climate change in the Antarctic Peninsula. For the recent period, we make the use of available observations, ECMWF&amp;#8217;s ERA5 and its predecessor ERA-Interim, as well as regional climate model simulations. Given the different climate characteristics at each side of the mountain barrier, we principally assess the results considering the windward and leeward sides. We use hindcast simulations performed with Polar-WRF over the Antarctic Peninsula on a nested domain configuration at 45 km (PWRF-45) and 15 km (PWRF-15) spatial resolutions for the period 1990-2015. In addition, we include hindcast simulations of KNMI-RACMO21P obtained from the CORDEX-Antarctica domain (~ 50 km) for further comparisons. For the near future climate change evaluation, we principally use historical simulations and climate change projections (until 2050s, RCP85) performed with PWRF (forced with NCAR-CESM1) on the same domain configuration of the hindcast simulations. Recent observed trends show contrasts between summer and autumn. Annual warming (cooling) trend is notable on the windward (leeward) coasts of the peninsula. Unlike the reanalysis, numerical simulations indicate a clear pattern of windward warming and leeward cooling at annual time-scale. These temperature changes are accompanied by a decreasing and increasing trend in sea ice on the windward and leeward coasts, respectively. An increasing trend of precipitation is notable on the central and northern peninsula. High resolution climate change projections (PWRF-15, RCP85) indicate that the recent warming trend on the windward coasts tends to continue in the near future (2020-2045) and the projections exhibit an increase in temperature by ~ 1.5&amp;#176;C and 0.5&amp;#176;C on the windward and leeward coasts, respectively. In the same period, the projections show an increase in precipitation over the peninsula (5% to 10%). The more notable warming projected on the windward side causes more increases in surface melting (~ +20% to +80%) and more sea ice loss (-4% to -20%) on this side. Results show that the windward coasts of central and northern Antarctic Peninsula can be considered as &quot;hotspots&quot; with notable increases in temperature, surface melting and sea ice loss.&lt;/p&gt;

Recent glacial advance in the western Weddell Sea Sector driven by anomalous sea ice circulation

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frazer Christie ◽  
Toby Benham ◽  
Julian Dowdeswell
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Antarctic Peninsula ◽  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Weddell Sea ◽  
Landsat 8 ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Total Contribution ◽  
Antarctic Ice Sheet ◽  
Ice Shelves ◽  
The Antarctic

&lt;p&gt;The Antarctic Peninsula is one of the most rapidly warming regions on Earth. There, the recent destabilization of the Larsen A and B ice shelves has been directly attributed to this warming, in concert with anomalous changes in ocean circulation. Having rapidly accelerated and retreated following the demise of Larsen A and B, the inland glaciers once feeding these ice shelves now form a significant proportion of Antarctica&amp;#8217;s total contribution to global sea-level rise, and have become an exemplar for the fate of the wider Antarctic Ice Sheet under a changing climate. Together with other indicators of glaciological instability observable from satellites, abrupt pre-collapse changes in ice shelf terminus position are believed to have presaged the imminent disintegration of Larsen A and B, which necessitates the need for routine, close observation of this sector in order to accurately forecast the future stability of the Antarctic Peninsula Ice Sheet. To date, however, detailed records of ice terminus position along this region of Antarctica only span the observational period c.1950 to 2008, despite several significant changes to the coastline over the last decade, including the calving of giant iceberg A-68a from Larsen C Ice Shelf in 2017.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Here, we present high-resolution, annual records of ice terminus change along the entire western Weddell Sea Sector, extending southwards from the former Larsen A Ice Shelf on the eastern Antarctic Peninsula to the periphery of Filchner Ice Shelf. Terminus positions were recovered primarily from Sentinel-1a/b, TerraSAR-X and ALOS-PALSAR SAR imagery acquired over the period 2009-2019, and were supplemented with Sentinel-2a/b, Landsat 7 ETM+ and Landsat 8 OLI optical imagery across regions of complex terrain.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Confounding Antarctic Ice Sheet-wide trends of increased glacial recession and mass loss over the long-term satellite era, we detect glaciological advance along 83% of the ice shelves fringing the eastern Antarctic Peninsula between 2009 and 2019. With the exception of SCAR Inlet, where the advance of its terminus position is attributable to long-lasting ice dynamical processes following the disintegration of Larsen B, this phenomenon lies in close agreement with recent observations of unchanged or arrested rates of ice flow and thinning along the coastline. Global climate reanalysis and satellite passive-microwave records reveal that this spatially homogenous advance can be attributed to an enhanced buttressing effect imparted on the eastern Antarctic Peninsula&amp;#8217;s ice shelves, governed primarily by regional-scale increases in the delivery and concentration of sea ice proximal to the coastline.&lt;/p&gt;

A recent sea-ice retreat west of the Antarctic Peninsula

1993 ◽  
Vol 20 (12) ◽  
pp. 1171-1174 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. S. Jacobs ◽  
J. C. Comiso
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Antarctic Peninsula ◽  
Ice Retreat ◽  
Sea Ice Retreat ◽  
The Antarctic
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