A recent emergency summit of the Antarctic Science Platform in Wellington raised serious concerns about the dramatic changes apparent around Antarctica, especially concerning sea ice over the past winter.
Two members of the Science Platform are Wairarapa residents, Professor of Glaciology Nick Golledge and Dr Bella Duncan, both at Victoria University of Wellington’s Antarctic Research Centre, and both are concerned about the greatly reduced sea ice in Antarctica – and what this could mean for the globe and New Zealand.
A recent article in Communications Earth and Environment noted that in February 2023, Antarctic sea ice set a record minimum and suggested that ocean warming has played a role in pushing the ice into a new low-extent state. This suggests the underlying processes controlling Antarctic sea ice coverage may have altered.
As Nick Golledge says: “Climate models project that even under stringently mitigated greenhouse gas emissions scenarios, the amount of sea ice in Antarctica will continue to decrease over coming decades.
“Sea ice formation is a critical process for the generation of Antarctic Bottom Water, one of the most important ocean currents on the planet. Disrupting its circulation means climate will be affected everywhere – including the Wairarapa.” And, he says, less sea ice is very bad news for Emperor penguins who rely on it for breeding.
Bella Duncan is equally concerned.
“We know from studying records of the Antarctic environment over the geological past that we can expect these recent changes to continue, with significant impacts to our local and global climate, sea level and ecosystems,” she says.
“We’ve seen this year the devastation Cyclone Gabrielle caused, an event exacerbated by a warmer atmosphere holding more water and consequently leading to greater rainfall amounts.
“More extreme climate events are going to happen and climate scientists are running out of ways to convey the importance of urgent action.”
