Antarctic Ocean Flows: an excerpt from Atlas of a Changing Earth (Dome Master format)

This visualization shows the ocean currents circulating around the Pine Island Bay and flowing under the Pine Island Glacier. This image shows the ocean currents circulating in the Pine Island Bay. This image shows the ocean currents circulating in the water beneath the Pine Island Glacier. Glaciers surrounding the Amundsen Sea in Antarctica have been rapidly melting. As glaciers flow out from land to the ocean, large expanses of ice behind their leading edges float on the seawater. The point on a glacier where it first loses contact with land is called the grounding line. Nearly all glacier melt occurs on the underside of the glacier beyond the grounding line, on the section floating on seawater as the warmer ocean currents erode the base of the floating ice.This visualization shows the ocean currents in the Amundsen Sea derived from the "Estimating the Circulation and Climate of the Ocean" (ECCO) ocean circulation model. The visualization approaches the Pine Island Glacier, dives beneath the water and views the ocean flows circulating beneath the floating ice. The surface of the ice sheet is exaggerated by 4x while the topography below sea level is exaggerated by 15x for the purpose of clarity. Related pages

This visualization shows how the ocean circulation in the Amundsen Sea, Antarctica flows around and under the floating ice shelves and glaciers. The ocean flows are colored by temperature with blue indicating colder and red showing warmer currents. This version includes a title, credits, narration and music.This video is also available on our YouTube channel. This is the same as the above visualization without the title, credits, narration or music. A high-resolution image of the coastline of the Amundsen Sea, Antarctica from Cape Dart to the Pine Island Bay. The Getz Ice Shelf seen in the foreground stretches 300 miles (500 km) along the coastline of the Amundsen Sea. A high-resolution image of the ocean circulation in and around the Pine Island bay. The flows are colored by temperature, spanning the range from 29.75 degrees fahrenteit (-1.25 degrees celsius) shown in blue to 34.25 degrees fahrenheit (+1.25 degrees celsius) shown in red. A high-resolution image of the ocean circulation in the Pine Island Bay. A high-resolution image showing the temperature stratification beneath the surface of the water in the Pine Island Bay with the coldest water shown in blue near the surface and the warmer water shown in red at lower depths. A high-resolution image showing the warm ocean circulation underneath the floating ice tongue of the Pine Island Glacier. The colorbar used to portray the ocean temperature in degrees fahrenheit The colorbar used to portray the temperature of the ocean in degrees celsius In this visualization of Antarctica, we cruise along the coastline of the Amundsen Sea from Cape Dart to the Pine Island Glacier. Initially we pass the massive Getz Ice Shelf on our right stretching over 300 miles (500 km) along the coast. As we approach the Smith Glacier and the Dotson Ice Shelf, the sea surface becomes transparent allowing us to see the ocean flows moving under the surface. These flows portray the direction, speed and temperature of the ocean circulation based on version 3 of the ECCO ocean circulation model. The flows are colored by temperature, spanning the range from 29.75 degrees fahrenheit (-1.25 degrees celsius) shown in blue to 34.25 degrees fahrenheit (+1.25 degrees celsius) shown in red. We see the ocean flows circulating around the Pine Island Bay and under the adjacent floating ice tongue of the Thwaites Glacier.As we approach the Pine Island Glacier, we dip below the surface of the bay and see the stratification of the temperature in the ocean flows, with the coldest water shown in blue near the surface and the warmer water shown in red at lower depths. We move forward under the floating ice of the Pine Island Glacier and see how the warmer ocean flows are circulating under the glacier's floating tongue, eroding the ice from beneath.The topography in this visualization has been exaggerated by 4x above sea level and 15x below sea level in order to more clearly observe the change in ocean temperature at various depths. Related pages