Preprints
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-141
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-141
15 Feb 2023
 | 15 Feb 2023

Glacial Meltwater in the Southeast Amundsen Sea: A timeseries from 1994–2020

Andrew Nicholas Hennig, David A. Mucciarone, Stanley S. Jacobs, Richard A. Mortlock, and Robert B. Dunbar

Abstract. Ice sheet mass loss from Antarctica is greatest in the Amundsen Sea sector, where ‘warm’ deep seawater melts and thins the bases of ice shelves hundreds of meters below the sea surface. We use nearly 1000 paired salinity and oxygen isotope analyses of seawater samples collected on seven expeditions from 1994 to 2020 to produce a time series of glacial meltwater inventory on the Southeast Amundsen Sea continental shelf. Water column salinity-ẟ18O yield freshwater endmember ẟ18O values from −30.2 ‰ to −28.4 ‰, demonstrating that regional freshwater content is dominated by deep glacial melt. The meltwater fractions display temporal variability in basal melting, with 800 m water column meltwater inventories from 7.7 m to 9.2 m. This result corroborates recent studies suggesting interannual variability in basal melt rates of West Antarctic ice shelves and is consistent with the Amundsen region’s influence on ocean salinity and density downstream in the Ross Sea.

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Journal article(s) based on this preprint

20 Feb 2024
Meteoric water and glacial melt in the southeastern Amundsen Sea: a time series from 1994 to 2020
Andrew N. Hennig, David A. Mucciarone, Stanley S. Jacobs, Richard A. Mortlock, and Robert B. Dunbar
The Cryosphere, 18, 791–818, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-791-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-791-2024, 2024
Short summary
Andrew Nicholas Hennig, David A. Mucciarone, Stanley S. Jacobs, Richard A. Mortlock, and Robert B. Dunbar

Interactive discussion

Status: closed

Comment types: AC – author | RC – referee | CC – community | EC – editor | CEC – chief editor | : Report abuse
  • RC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2023-141', Anonymous Referee #1, 14 Mar 2023
    • AC1: 'Reply on RC1', Andrew Hennig, 09 May 2023
  • RC2: 'Comment on egusphere-2023-141', Anonymous Referee #2, 19 Apr 2023
    • AC2: 'Reply on RC2', Andrew Hennig, 09 May 2023

Interactive discussion

Status: closed

Comment types: AC – author | RC – referee | CC – community | EC – editor | CEC – chief editor | : Report abuse
  • RC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2023-141', Anonymous Referee #1, 14 Mar 2023
    • AC1: 'Reply on RC1', Andrew Hennig, 09 May 2023
  • RC2: 'Comment on egusphere-2023-141', Anonymous Referee #2, 19 Apr 2023
    • AC2: 'Reply on RC2', Andrew Hennig, 09 May 2023

Peer review completion

AR: Author's response | RR: Referee report | ED: Editor decision | EF: Editorial file upload
ED: Reconsider after major revisions (further review by editor and referees) (05 Jun 2023) by Nicolas Jourdain
AR by Andrew Hennig on behalf of the Authors (16 Jun 2023)  Author's response   Author's tracked changes   Manuscript 
ED: Referee Nomination & Report Request started (19 Jul 2023) by Nicolas Jourdain
RR by Anonymous Referee #1 (09 Sep 2023)
RR by Anonymous Referee #2 (27 Sep 2023)
ED: Publish subject to revisions (further review by editor and referees) (05 Oct 2023) by Nicolas Jourdain
AR by Andrew Hennig on behalf of the Authors (21 Nov 2023)  Author's response   Author's tracked changes 
EF by Sarah Buchmann (22 Nov 2023)  Manuscript 
ED: Publish subject to minor revisions (review by editor) (09 Dec 2023) by Nicolas Jourdain
AR by Andrew Hennig on behalf of the Authors (14 Dec 2023)  Author's response   Author's tracked changes   Manuscript 
ED: Publish as is (08 Jan 2024) by Nicolas Jourdain
AR by Andrew Hennig on behalf of the Authors (09 Jan 2024)  Manuscript 

Journal article(s) based on this preprint

20 Feb 2024
Meteoric water and glacial melt in the southeastern Amundsen Sea: a time series from 1994 to 2020
Andrew N. Hennig, David A. Mucciarone, Stanley S. Jacobs, Richard A. Mortlock, and Robert B. Dunbar
The Cryosphere, 18, 791–818, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-791-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-791-2024, 2024
Short summary
Andrew Nicholas Hennig, David A. Mucciarone, Stanley S. Jacobs, Richard A. Mortlock, and Robert B. Dunbar
Andrew Nicholas Hennig, David A. Mucciarone, Stanley S. Jacobs, Richard A. Mortlock, and Robert B. Dunbar

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Latest update: 18 Sep 2024
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The requested preprint has a corresponding peer-reviewed final revised paper. You are encouraged to refer to the final revised version.

Short summary
Glacial ice has distinct oxygen isotope fingerprints that can facilitate estimation the fraction of its meltwater in coastal Antarctic seas. ẟ18O and salinity data from seven cruises on the SE Amundsen Sea between 1994 and 2020 reveal a deep freshwater source with ẟ18O −29.3 ± 0.9 ‰, consistent with melting from the base of the ice shelf. Glacial meltwater content was variable over time and space, but the lowest in 1994 and highest in 2020.