Sensor-Equipped Seals Uncover New Seawater Pathways Around Antarctica

Researchers have discovered that the meltwater from Antarctic ice shelves, exacerbated by climate change, is contributing to a complex network of ocean currents that influence ice melting across the continent.

Researchers at Caltech have used data from autonomous underwater vehicles and sensor-equipped seals to trace these meltwater pathways in the poorly studied Bellingshausen Sea. Their findings reveal new underwater features and currents that help predict future sea level rise by understanding these interconnected processes.

Impact of Climate Change on Antarctic Ice Shelves
Due to warming caused by climate change, the Antarctic ice shelves are melting at an accelerated rate. Most of the melt comes from below the ice shelves, a result of warm water flowing underneath them. However, the process does not stop there—as the meltwater enters the ocean, it is carried around the coast of Antarctica by ocean currents, modifying melt rates at ice shelves farther downstream. Mapping these meltwater pathways is needed to better understand and predict melting and resulting sea level rise.