IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/natcom/v13y2022i1d10.1038_s41467-022-28676-z.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Change and variability in Antarctic coastal exposure, 1979–2020

Author

Listed:
  • P. A. Reid

    (Australian Bureau of Meteorology
    University of Tasmania)

  • R. A. Massom

    (University of Tasmania
    Australian Antarctic Division
    University of Tasmania)

Abstract

Increased exposure of Antarctica’s coastal environment to open ocean and waves due to loss of a protective sea-ice “buffer” has important ramifications for ice-shelf stability, coastal erosion, important ice-ocean-atmosphere interactions and shallow benthic ecosystems. Here, we introduce a climate and environmental metric based on the ongoing long-term satellite sea-ice concentration record, namely Coastal Exposure Length. This is a daily measure of change and variability in the length and incidence of Antarctic coastline lacking any protective sea-ice buffer offshore. For 1979–2020, ~50% of Antarctica’s ~17,850-km coastline had no sea ice offshore each summer, with minimal exposure in winter. Regional summer/maximum contributions vary from 45% (Amundsen-Bellingshausen seas) to 58% (Indian Ocean and Ross Sea), with circumpolar annual exposure ranging from 38% (2019) to 63% (1993). The annual maximum length of Antarctic coastal exposure decreased by ~30 km (~0.32%) per year for 1979–2020, composed of distinct regional and seasonal contributions.

Suggested Citation

  • P. A. Reid & R. A. Massom, 2022. "Change and variability in Antarctic coastal exposure, 1979–2020," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-11, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:13:y:2022:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-022-28676-z
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-28676-z
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-28676-z
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/s41467-022-28676-z?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
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Robert A. Massom & Theodore A. Scambos & Luke G. Bennetts & Phillip Reid & Vernon A. Squire & Sharon E. Stammerjohn, 2018. "Antarctic ice shelf disintegration triggered by sea ice loss and ocean swell," Nature, Nature, vol. 558(7710), pages 383-389, June.
    2. Joao Morim & Mark Hemer & Xiaolan L. Wang & Nick Cartwright & Claire Trenham & Alvaro Semedo & Ian Young & Lucy Bricheno & Paula Camus & Mercè Casas-Prat & Li Erikson & Lorenzo Mentaschi & Nobuhito Mo, 2019. "Robustness and uncertainties in global multivariate wind-wave climate projections," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 9(9), pages 711-718, September.
    3. John Turner & Josefino Comiso, 2017. "Solve Antarctica’s sea-ice puzzle," Nature, Nature, vol. 547(7663), pages 275-277, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Liu, Jin & Meucci, Alberto & Liu, Qingxiang & Babanin, Alexander V. & Ierodiaconou, Daniel & Xu, Xingkun & Young, Ian R., 2023. "A high-resolution wave energy assessment of south-east Australia based on a 40-year hindcast," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 215(C).
    2. Henning Åkesson & Mathieu Morlighem & Johan Nilsson & Christian Stranne & Martin Jakobsson, 2022. "Petermann ice shelf may not recover after a future breakup," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-9, December.
    3. Shivangini Singh & Shashi Kumar & Navneet Kumar, 2023. "Evolution of Iceberg A68 since Its Inception from the Collapse of Antarctica’s Larsen C Ice Shelf Using Sentinel-1 SAR Data," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-28, February.
    4. Lira-Loarca, Andrea & Ferrari, Francesco & Mazzino, Andrea & Besio, Giovanni, 2021. "Future wind and wave energy resources and exploitability in the Mediterranean Sea by 2100," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 302(C).
    5. Alberto Alberello & Luke G. Bennetts & Miguel Onorato & Marcello Vichi & Keith MacHutchon & Clare Eayrs & Butteur Ntamba Ntamba & Alvise Benetazzo & Filippo Bergamasco & Filippo Nelli & Rohinee Pattan, 2022. "Three-dimensional imaging of waves and floes in the marginal ice zone during a cyclone," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-11, December.
    6. Chloe Leach & Ben S. Hague & David M. Kennedy & Rafael C. Carvalho & Daniel Ierodiaconou, 2021. "Identifying oceanographic conditions conducive to coastal impacts on temperate open coastal beaches," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 109(1), pages 499-521, October.
    7. Nicholas R. Golledge, 2020. "Long‐term projections of sea‐level rise from ice sheets," Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 11(2), March.
    8. He, J.Y. & Chan, P.W. & Li, Q.S. & Tong, H.W., 2023. "Mapping future offshore wind resources in the South China Sea under climate change by regional climate modeling," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 188(C).
    9. Jian Shi & Xiangbo Feng & Ralf Toumi & Chi Zhang & Kevin I. Hodges & Aifeng Tao & Wei Zhang & Jinhai Zheng, 2024. "Global increase in tropical cyclone ocean surface waves," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-13, December.

    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:natcom:v:13:y:2022:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-022-28676-z. 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.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with 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.