The Importance of Sea Ice to Antarctic Ice Shelves

Ice shelves are important because they act as a dam that regulates the amount of land ice that flows into the ocean. This means if Antarctica’s ice shelves were to break up, more ice would be melted into the ocean and global sea level would rise at a much faster rate. Because Antarctic ice shelves float in the ocean, they are not only sensitive to warming air temperatures but also to changes in the Southern Ocean. One such important factor is how ice shelves interact with sea ice. When sea ice attaches to the front of ice shelves, it can act as a glue, preventing ice-shelf break-up and promoting ice-shelf growth. In the open ocean, sea ice can also help protect ice shelves from damaging ocean waves formed during large storms. Sea ice will play an important role in determining the fate of Antarctic ice shelves in the coming decades.