IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/natcli/v15y2025i7d10.1038_s41558-025-02363-5.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Continent-wide mapping shows increasing sensitivity of East Antarctica to meltwater ponding

Author

Listed:
  • Peter A. Tuckett

    (University of Sheffield
    University of York
    University of Leeds)

  • Andrew J. Sole

    (University of Sheffield)

  • Stephen J. Livingstone

    (University of Sheffield)

  • Julie M. Jones

    (University of Sheffield)

  • James M. Lea

    (University of Liverpool)

  • Ella Gilbert

    (British Antarctic Survey)

Abstract

Surface meltwater is predicted to become increasingly important for Antarctic mass loss as atmospheric temperatures rise, due to its potential to influence ice dynamic, hydrofracture and radiative processes. However, our understanding of Antarctic surface meltwater is limited, with previous studies restricted in spatial or temporal scope. Here, using cloud computing, we produce an Antarctic-wide, monthly dataset of surface meltwater for 2006 to 2021. Surface meltwater covered 3,732 km2 across Antarctica on average during each melt season, with 30% on grounded ice. High interannual variability in meltwater area across the Antarctic Peninsula and in East Antarctica correlates with large-scale modes of climate variability. In west Antarctica, meltwater area is comparatively low and this correlation is absent. An increase in the magnitude and variability of surface meltwater area without a coincident increase in modelled snowmelt in East Antarctica indicates that the ice-sheet surface might be becoming more favourable to meltwater ponding.

Suggested Citation

  • Peter A. Tuckett & Andrew J. Sole & Stephen J. Livingstone & Julie M. Jones & James M. Lea & Ella Gilbert, 2025. "Continent-wide mapping shows increasing sensitivity of East Antarctica to meltwater ponding," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 15(7), pages 775-783, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcli:v:15:y:2025:i:7:d:10.1038_s41558-025-02363-5
    DOI: 10.1038/s41558-025-02363-5
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-025-02363-5
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/s41558-025-02363-5?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:natcli:v:15:y:2025:i:7:d:10.1038_s41558-025-02363-5. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.