| Title: |
Rising surface salinity and declining sea ice: a new Southern Ocean state revealed by satellites |
| Authors: |
Silvano, Alessandro; Narayanan, Aditya; Catany, Rafael; Olmedo, Estrella; González‐Gambau, Verónica; Turiel, Antonio; Sabia, Roberto; Mazloff, Matthew R.; Spira, Theo; Haumann, F. Alexander; Garabato, Alberto C. Naveira |
| Publication Year: |
2025 |
| Collection: |
University of Southampton: e-Prints Soton |
| Description: |
For decades, the surface of the polar Southern Ocean (south of 50°S) has been freshening—an expected response to a warming climate. This freshening enhanced upper-ocean stratification, reducing the upward transport of subsurface heat and possibly contributing to sea ice expansion. It also limited the formation of open-ocean polynyas. Using satellite observations, we reveal a marked increase in surface salinity across the circumpolar Southern Ocean since 2015. This shift has weakened upper-ocean stratification, coinciding with a dramatic decline in Antarctic sea ice coverage. Additionally, rising salinity facilitated the reemergence of the Maud Rise polynya in the Weddell Sea, a phenomenon last observed in the mid-1970s. Crucially, we demonstrate that satellites can now monitor these changes in real time, providing essential evidence of the Southern Ocean’s potential transition toward persistently reduced sea ice coverage. |
| Document Type: |
article in journal/newspaper |
| File Description: |
text |
| Language: |
English |
| Relation: |
https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/506679/1/silvano-et-al-2025-rising-surface-salinity-and-declining-sea-ice-a-new-southern-ocean-state-revealed-by-satellites.pdf; Silvano, Alessandro, Narayanan, Aditya, Catany, Rafael, Olmedo, Estrella, González‐Gambau, Verónica, Turiel, Antonio, Sabia, Roberto, Mazloff, Matthew R., Spira, Theo, Haumann, F. Alexander and Garabato, Alberto C. Naveira (2025) Rising surface salinity and declining sea ice: a new Southern Ocean state revealed by satellites. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 122 (27), [e2500440122]. (doi:10.1073/pnas.2500440122 ). |
| Availability: |
https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/506679/ |
| Rights: |
cc_by_4 |
| Accession Number: |
edsbas.8C8909F4 |
| Database: |
BASE |