SURFEIT studies how exchange of mass and energy between the surface of the Antarctic ice sheet and the atmosphere impacts sea level rise @BAS_News@NERCscience.
It's summer 2022, and an area of East Antarctica is over 38.5°C warmer than it should be...
In the latest Beyond the Ice, BAS climate scientists Dr Louise Sime and Dr Tom Bracegirdle are here with your briefing on understanding extreme weather events ⬇
bas.ac.uk/media/beyondtheice…
SURFEIT's PI Louise Sime talks about the extremes of Antarctic weather in @BAS_News latest edition of 'Beyond the Ice'
Find it here: linkedin.com/pulse/extreme-w…
Remember the really low levels of #SeaIce in Antarctica last year? Records tumbling?
For the first time, now we know:
1) how rare this sea ice loss was
2) if climate change made it more likely
Spoiler: it was super rare; now it’s four times more likely.
Buckle up for a 🧵⬇️
"Why does this even matter", you ask. Why is sea ice important?
🖤 It's white and reflects sunlight(!)
🍀 Sea ice is linked to the scale/timing of algae bloom
🐧 Which matters for krill the whole food chain
💧 Those plants plankton also sequester carbon in the ocean
🧵⬇️
So there you have it. It may sound like grim news, but it's also more evidence that the power to change things is still in our hands.
📰 Here's the full news story:
buff.ly/4axf0fY
📝 And the link to Rachel Diamond's paper:
buff.ly/3yranH7
Great to see the @SurfeitNerc science community come together at #EGU24.
Some of the best science conversations happen around the fringes of the conference as people from around Europe are in the same place at the same time!
These are the beautiful, biodiverse South Orkney Islands near Antarctica 😍
But scientists at @BAS_News say warm weather extreme events have increased hugely over the last 75 years.
SURFEIT is analysing events like these to improve climate models ⬇️
bas.ac.uk/media-post/scienti…
Melting Antarctic ice is a major source of sea level rise, and adapting communities need a precise timeline.
SURFEIT will improve our models how snow, ice and water are influenced by sunlight, winds, ocean currents and rising temperatures.
More here ➡️ surfeit.ac.uk/
We can’t yet forecast the future of Antarctica with enough certainty.
🌨️ Will it snow more or less in Antarctica as temperatures rise?
🧊 How does liquid water weaken ice sheets?
💧 What's the impact of extreme weather events?
Enter @SurfeitNerc ⬇️
Bring intrepid Antarctic scientists into your classroom!
Pick from 10 talks for a range of ages, including:
🐧 Antarctica's amazing creatures
🥼 Doing experiments in Antarctica
🌎 Introducing climate science #ThwaitesGlacier
From 27 November
➡️ antarcticalivelessons.com
The melt rate of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet will increase until the end of the century, even if we reduce emissions.
New research led by BAS' @kaitlinnaughten shows that it's now likely unavoidable - even in the best-case scenario.
Here's the story ⬇️
ow.ly/MNIt50PZJjC
Huge congrats to BAS glaciologist Hamish Pritchard, who won the Harry Otten Prize for Innovation in Meteorology 🥇
His new method to measure snowfall via water pressure in lakes will help model climate change impacts on the people who need this water 🏔️
ow.ly/Fh3m50PTsu1
ALT Hamish Pritchard is pictured on field work in the Himalayas (British Antarctic Survey)
Why is Arctic air warming four times faster than the global average?
The answer could be in the clouds:
🌬️ Winter winds toss up salty snow from sea ice
☁️ Clouds form on the sea salt particles
⛅️ Cloudy conditions trap solar radiation
New paper alert! 🚨
bas.ac.uk/media-post/sea-sal…
ALT Scientists studying clouds on the RV Polarstern fly a weather balloon above the tents pitched on the ice. The balloon is like a red zeppelin. The sky is almost dark, and the orange tents glow with internal warm light. The RV Polarstern is visible in the distance.
Thank you to our scientists and support staff for making last week’s #SURFEIT kick-off meeting at @BAS_News a success! 🚀
Here’s to a better understanding of ice-atmosphere mass and energy exchanges in Antarctica and their impact on sea level rise! 🇦🇶
surfeit.ac.uk
We’re thrilled to welcome our dream team of scientists to the #SURFEIT kick-off meeting at @BAS_News this week. ❄️🧊
Learn more about the objectives of our work at surfeit.ac.uk! 💻
Our new science programme, #SURFEIT, will improve predictions of future global sea level rise driven by the loss of ice from Antarctica.
Changes in Antarctica affect all of us - from plans to protect coastal areas, to shaping global emission policy.
bas.ac.uk/media-post/funding…