| Session Details | |
| Section | OS - Ocean Sciences |
| Session Title | Interactions in the Freezer: The Roles of the Ocean in the Complex World of the Antarctic |
| Main Convener | Dr. Robin Robertson (University of New South Wales, Australia) |
| Co-convener(s) | Dr. Craig Stevens (National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA), New Zealand) |
| Session Description | The Antarctic plays a unique role in climate, generating the bottom water for the world’s oceans. It is a complex environment, where the oceans, atmosphere, sea ice, and ice shelves interact in multiple ways, involving both positive and negative feedbacks. As examples, the ocean warms the atmosphere, cooling the water, forming both sea ice and dense water. Winds move sea ice, exposing the ocean again. Sea ice also provides a platform for biology and its break-up induces a bloom. This bloom reduces the carbon dioxide content of the upper ocean. Warm deep water upwells providing nutrients for phytoplankton and melts sea ice or ice shelves, freshening the waters. Topographic features on the floor interact with tidal currents to induce mixing, both generating density flows and replenishing nutrients in the upper ocean. Tides force warm water into the ice shelf cavities increasing ice shelf melting. This session invites research, observational and/or modelling, encompassing complex interactions with the ocean as they pertain to the Antarctic. |