Excursion Report

Yena Han

Event name: Remote Consequences of Processes Operating at the Antarctic Margin seminar

Event time and place: Atlantic Building Room 2400, October 17, 2024, 3:30pm

Major Points

The Southern Ocean and the Antarctic region are important for the Earth's climate mainly because those areas are a direct contributor on how the ocean absorbs heat/carbon and the Antarctic Ice Sheet getting smaller. Her research reveals how the Antarctic water movement affects the global climate system. Dr.Beadling found that the ocean, ice, and atmosphere in the southern and antarctic region work together and have a snowball effect on the global weather patterns that directly affects the Earth’s temperature and the amount of warming that occurs. The movement of water around Antarctica also affects nutrients in the ocean and the carbon movement from the ocean to the atmosphere, linking directly to the global carbon cycle. Dr.Beadling found that 75% of oceanic heat goes to the southern ocean which fertilizes 75% of global ocean biological productivity. Her research can be further applied to understand how the processes are changing which can be used to predict future climate changes.

Main Points Convincing?

The main points were convincing. Dr.Beadling's researchs aligns well with the scientific understanding of the impact the Southern Ocean and Antarctic regions have on the global climate system. The abstract emphasizes key aspects that are central to current climate science, such as the interaction between ocean currents, ice, and atmosphere, and their influence on both local and global climate patterns. Dr.Beadling has created many climate models that are to capture oceanic physical and biogeochemical processes. She uses the CM4 to show that the slope current is poorly represented. This can be connected to the fact that there are formations of dense shelf waters. She emphasizes the need for better analytical tools to reduce any types of uncertainties in their predictions. This can help them make more accurate links at a faster pace which therefore can make their climate projections more reliable, allowing for a better understanding of the changes in our global climate and how it fixes it.

The seminar also heavily focuses on how the Antarctic Ice Sheets (AIS) is constantly evolving- it is consistently losing mass due to climate warming. The ocean is also becoming more freshwater than saltwater and that is because of the AIS melting, disrupting the deep ocean circulation and further disrupting the global carbon production. By putting emphasis on the importance of AIS and its effects, Dr.Beadling makes her main points more convincing. She then mentions the steric sea level rise and the long term effects. As the AIS melts, the sea level rises by the thermal expansion, also known as the steric rise, which can extend further to the global seas. This is a feedback loop whereas the AIS melts, the ocean circulation changes, which causes more global warming, and therefore affecting regional and global climates.

She then highlights the importance of these regions for the carbon cycle, which is crucial for understanding long-term climate changes. She justified this argument by finding that “the Southern Ocean accounts for about 33% of the world's ocean surface area, and it is responsible for absorbing around 75% of the oceanic heat. This heat absorption directly influences global temperature patterns and weather systems. The Antarctic margin also plays a key role in oceanic biological productivity, as it fertilizes approximately 75% of global ocean biological productivity, which is critical for maintaining the carbon cycle and global food webs. The interaction between oceanic currents, ice dynamics, and atmospheric processes along the Antarctic margin is central to how heat, carbon, and nutrients are redistributed globally. This process has significant implications for both climate predictions and the global carbon budget.

I did not notice any major logical fallacies. Dr.Beadling presented a clear argument about the role of the Antarctic margin in climate processes, supported by evidence from her climate models. I did not see Dr. Beadling alter her data or makes misleading generalizations to further support her argument. However, her data are mostly simulations or predictions, making them theoretical. This means more data and advanced technology to understand how this region will change over time, affecting the global climate. Therefore, Dr.Beadlings overall main points were convincing.