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Encyclopedia of Paleoclimatology and Ancient Environments pp 31–34Cite as

Antarctic Sea Ice History, Late Quaternary

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Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series ((EESS))

Introduction

Sea ice results from the freezing of surface sea water. In the Southern Ocean, sea ice surrounds the Antarctic continent and it today covers 20 × 106 km2 in winter and only 4 × 106 km2 in summer (Gloersen et al., 1992). This pronounced seasonal cycle strongly affects the climate of the Southern Hemisphere through its impacts on the energy and gas budget, atmospheric circulation, the hydrological cycle, and biological productivity (Figure A20). Sea ice also modulates the climate of remote places through its impact on deep and intermediate oceanic circulations. More details about sea ice formation, its seasonal cycle and its importance in the climate and ocean systems can be found in the entry on Arctic sea ice, this volume.

Figure A20
figure 20_10

Schematic illustration of sea ice impacts on the Southern Hemisphere climatic system. AABW: Antarctic Bottom Water; MYSI: Multi-Year Sea Ice; FYSI: First-Year Sea Ice that freezes and melts every year. FYSI can be separated in consolidated ice...

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Authors
  1. Xavier Crosta
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Goddard Institute for Space Studies, Columbia University, New York, USA

    Vivien Gornitz

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Crosta, X. (2009). Antarctic Sea Ice History, Late Quaternary. In: Gornitz, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Paleoclimatology and Ancient Environments. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-4411-3_10

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