First-of-its-kind study: How Antarctica’s melting ice sheet could change NZ’s climate patterns

ASP researchers Drs Andrew Pauling and Inga Smith have co-authored a ground-breaking investigation that zeroes in on how melting Antarctic ice sheets affect Aotearoa’s climate.

Meltwater entering the Southern Ocean due to the Antarctic ice sheet losing mass is not typically included in climate modelling, so the new research adds the “missing meltwater” to past and future scenarios.

Results show meltwater cooling waters southeast of New Zealand, which offsets the projected warming in this region, with important implications for the local ocean. Wintertime westerly winds to the south of New Zealand also increase.

The new research was published this month in Geophysical Research Letters, funded by the Antarctic Science Platform and Deep South National Science Challenge, with high-performance computing facilities provided by New Zealand eScience Infrastructure (NeSI).