Ocean Science
Ocean Science
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Articles | Volume 21, issue 5
Articles | Volume 21, issue 5
https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-2605-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-2605-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Articles | Volume 21, issue 5
Research article
 | Highlight paper
 | 
28 Oct 2025
Research article | Highlight paper |  | 28 Oct 2025

Thwaites Eastern Ice Shelf cavity observations reveal multiyear sea ice dynamics and deepwater warming in Pine Island Bay, West Antarctica

Christian T. Wild, Tasha Snow, Tiago S. Dotto, Peter E. D. Davis, Scott Tyler, Ted A. Scambos, Erin C. Pettit, and Karen J. Heywood

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The article provides critical observations relating to the Thwaites Eastern Ice Shelf and the modified Circumpolar Deep Water. The observed warming has important consequences for implied basal melting and can impact the stability of the ice shelf, with notable subsequent impacts, such as addition of mass into the ocean and thus implied sea level rise. The work calls for further efforts in constraining the uncertainties via a combination of observations, modelling and mechanistic understanding.
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Short summary
Thwaites Glacier is retreating due to warm ocean water melting it from below, but its thick ice shelf makes this heat hard to monitor. Using hot-water drilling, we placed sensors beneath the floating ice, revealing how surface freezing in Pine Island Bay influences heat at depth. Alongside gradual warming, we found bursts of heat that could speed up melting at the grounding zone, which may become more common as sea ice declines.
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