This is a special OCP Seminar, celebrating the 75th anniversary of Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory.
Title: Drivers of the Recent Climate Fluctuations in the Southern Ocean
Abstract: The Southern Ocean has experienced extreme fluctuations in sea ice extent (SIE) and sea surface temperature over the past two decades. From 2007 to 2015, Antarctic sea ice expanded across almost all sectors, culminating in record-high SIEs in 2013 and 2014. In late 2016, this trend reversed abruptly, with SIE plummeting to a record low as marine heatwaves spread across the ice-free Southern Ocean. Since then, Antarctic sea ice has declined to new minima with no signs of recovery. The persistence and magnitude of the recent Antarctic sea ice loss raise the question of whether there has been a regime shift in the Southern Ocean climate. This presentation will review these recent climate variations and present a new hypothesis that links the recent sea ice loss with the preceding ice expansion.
