Ice mass loss sensitivity to the Antarctic ice sheet basal thermal state

Sea-level rise projections rely on accurate predictions of ice mass loss from Antarctica. Climate change promotes greater mass loss by destabilizing ice shelves and accelerating the discharge of upstream grounded ice. Mass loss is further exacerbated by mechanisms such as the Marine Ice Sheet Instability and the Marine Ice Cliff Instability. However, the effect of basal thermal state changes of grounded ice remains largely unexplored. Here, we use numerical ice sheet modeling to investigate how warmer basal temperatures could affect the Antarctic ice sheet mass balance. We find increased mass loss in response to idealized basal thawing experiments run over 100 years. Most notably, frozen-bed patches could be tenuously sustaining the current ice configuration in parts of George V, Adelie, Enderby, and Kemp Land regions of East Antarctica. With less than 5 degrees of basal warming, these frozen patches may begin to thaw, producing new loci of mass loss.

Automated summary

This study investigates how warmer basal temperatures could affect the mass balance of the Antarctic ice sheet using numerical ice sheet modeling. The results show increased mass loss in response to idealized basal thawing experiments. Notably, frozen-bed patches in certain regions of East Antarctica may currently be sustaining the ice configuration, but with less than 5 degrees of basal warming, these patches could begin to thaw and contribute to new loci of mass loss.