What impacts will changes in sea ice extent and duration have?
Reduced sea ice formation will potentially slow the global ocean overturning circulation and will result in increased absorption of the sun’s heat by the ocean at high latitudes. It will also provide greater access for ships to the higher latitudes and may lead to a significant increase in tourist vessels in the Antarctic. This will have implications for Australia’s search and rescue responsibilities as well as for resource management. What is driving the changes in sea ice? ‘Fish scale’ or ‘dragon scale’ ice, formed when wave action breaks apart newly forming ice and sudden pressure causes the scales to pile up. Photo: Tony WorbyIn the western Antarctic Peninsula, sea ice decline has largely been driven by an intensification of more northerly winds during autumn-spring, leading to wind-induced ice compaction. The sea ice changes are also coincident with an increase in average winter air temperature of 5.8C between 1950 and 2005, attributed to climate change. In the western Ross Sea re
