"Study author Mattia Poinelli at the University of California, Irvine, said the vortexes 'look exactly like a storm' and are 'strongly energetic'. 'There is a very vertical and turbulent motion that happens near the surface,' Dr Poinelli told climate organisation Grist. 'In the future, where there is going to be more warm water, more melting, we're going to probably see more of these effects in different areas of Antarctica.'"
"For the study, researchers relied on 'realistic' simulations from computer modeling as well as moored devices, which provided high-resolution observations below the ice. The experts found evidence of the storm-like circulation patterns beneath the ice shelves - the floating extensions of glaciers that have flowed from land out onto the ocean surface. These swirling ocean currents are called 'submesoscale' meaning they measure between 0.6 and 6.2 miles across (1 and 10 kilometres). They regularly form in the open ocean, propagate towards the Doomsday Glacier, intrude its cavity, and then aggressively melt the ice from below."
Swirling vortexes form when waters of different temperature and density collide in the open ocean, producing storm-like, strongly energetic circulation. These submesoscale currents, about 0.6–6.2 miles (1–10 km) across, propagate toward West Antarctica and intrude cavities beneath Thwaites (Doomsday) and Pine Island glaciers. The vortexes draw up deeper, warmer water into ice-shelf cavities while pushing away colder freshwater, creating strong vertical turbulence and aggressive basal melting. Increased ice-shelf melting enhances ocean turbulence and promotes further warm-water intrusion, accelerating thinning. Realistic simulations and moored observational devices provided high-resolution measurements of these circulation patterns beneath floating ice shelves, indicating wider future impacts as oceans warm.
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