Francis et al. (2026) Drivers of observed winter-spring sea-ice and snow thickness at a coastal site in East Antarctica

⚠️ Warning: This summary was generated from the abstract only, as the full text was not available.

Identification

• Journal: Repository for Publications and Research Data (ETH Zurich)
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-01-06
• Authors: Diana Francis, Ricardo Fonseca, Narendra Nelli, Petra Heil, Jonathan Wille, Irina Gorodetskaya, Robert A. Massom
• DOI: 10.3929/ethz-c-000792123

Research Groups

• Observational Glaciology/Oceanography Group (for in situ measurements)
• Atmospheric Modeling Group (for Polar Weather Research and Forecasting model simulations)

Short Summary

This study investigates the mechanisms driving sea-ice and snow characteristics at a coastal East Antarctic site, revealing that while sea-ice thickness follows the seasonal solar cycle, snow thickness is highly variable due to atmospheric forcing, including the significant impact of atmospheric rivers and katabatic winds.

Objective

• To investigate the mechanisms behind the observed sea-ice and snow characteristics at a coastal site in East Antarctica using in situ measurements and high-resolution atmospheric modeling.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Coastal East Antarctica (for in situ measurements), Southern Ocean (around 64° S, 45° E for polynya formation).
• Temporal Scale: Winter-spring 2022 (July-November 2022 for snow and sea ice observations; 14-22 July for specific atmospheric river and polynya events).

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Polar Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model (high-resolution simulation).
• Data sources: In situ measurements (sea-ice thickness, snow thickness), satellite-derived pack ice drift speeds.

Main Results

• Sea-ice thickness peaked at 1.16 m in mid-late October and decreased to 0.06 m by the end of November, following the seasonal solar cycle.
• Snow thickness varied between 0.02 m and 0.18 m during July-November 2022, with daily changes up to 0.08 m attributed to atmospheric forcing, including precipitation, Foehn effects, blowing snow, and episodic warm/moist air intrusions.
• A high-resolution simulation of the 14 July atmospheric river (AR) event showed meridional wind speeds exceeding 45 m s⁻¹ and precipitation rates above 8.33 x 10⁻⁷ m s⁻¹ (3 mm h⁻¹) around coastal Antarctica, resulting from the convergence of AR rapids and katabatic winds.
• A deep low-pressure system, with a central pressure dropping to 93.1 kPa (931 hPa), triggered satellite-derived pack ice drift speeds exceeding 0.694 m s⁻¹ (60 km d⁻¹) and led to the opening of a polynya in the Southern Ocean (around 64° S, 45° E) from 14 to 22 July.

Contributions

• Provides a comprehensive understanding of the complex interactions between atmospheric dynamics (e.g., atmospheric rivers, katabatic winds, low-pressure systems) and sea-ice and snow characteristics in coastal East Antarctica.
• Quantifies the impact of specific atmospheric events on snow thickness variability and sea ice dynamics, including polynya formation.
• Offers valuable insights for improving climate modeling and future projections of the Antarctic climate system.

Funding

• Not specified in the provided paper text.

Citation

@article{Francis2026Drivers,
  author = {Francis, Diana and Fonseca, Ricardo and Nelli, Narendra and Heil, Petra and Wille, Jonathan and Gorodetskaya, Irina and Massom, Robert A.},
  title = {Drivers of observed winter-spring sea-ice and snow thickness at a coastal site in East Antarctica},
  journal = {Repository for Publications and Research Data (ETH Zurich)},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.3929/ethz-c-000792123},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.3929/ethz-c-000792123}
}