Deep dive: What do polar oceans conceal?Yana Bebieva

Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Institute

https://www.oceanfdn.org/https://images4.persgroep.net/

Deep dive: What do polar oceans conceal?Yana Bebieva

Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Institute

CC BY-NC-ND, https://www.pmel.noaa.gov/

Sea ice melts

More ocean

exposed

Ocean absorbs

more heat

Warming

http://news.mit.edu/

Schematic of the Southern Ocean circulation

Deep dive: What do polar oceans conceal?Yana Bebieva

Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Institute

Australia

South America

Africa

Speer et al. (2000)

Vertical slice through the Southern Ocean

Ant

arct

ica

Warm & Salty WaterCold & Fresh Water

Sea ice

Convection

Typical vertical structure

Oce

an

Deep dive: What do polar oceans conceal?Yana Bebieva

Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Institute

Upp

er 5

00 m

~4000 m

http://news.mit.edu/

Typical vertical structure

Deep dive: What do polar oceans conceal?Yana Bebieva

Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Institute

Upp

er 5

00 m

~4000 m

Oce

an

http://clipart-library.com/

http://thual.perso.enseeiht.fr/http://news.mit.edu/

Deep dive: What do polar oceans conceal?Yana Bebieva

Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Institute

Upp

er 5

00 m

~4000 m

Oce

an

http://clipart-library.com/

http://thual.perso.enseeiht.fr/

Deep dive: What do polar oceans conceal?Yana Bebieva

Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Institute

CC BY-NC-ND, https://www.pmel.noaa.gov/

Take home messages:

1. In the Southern Ocean, sea ice forms if there are layers in the upper ocean.

2. Layers slow down the overall ocean warming.

Implication:Our results improve climate

modeling.