Decadal-Scale Warming Signals in Antarctic Ice Sheet Interior Revealed by L-Band Passive Microwave Observations from 2015 to 2025.
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| Title: | Decadal-Scale Warming Signals in Antarctic Ice Sheet Interior Revealed by L-Band Passive Microwave Observations from 2015 to 2025. |
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| Authors: | Lv, Shaoning1,2,3,4 (AUTHOR), Hu, Yin1,2 (AUTHOR) 24113020010@m.fudan.edu.cn, Wen, Jun3,5 (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Remote Sensing. Nov2025, Vol. 17 Issue 22, p3757. 18p. |
| Subjects: | Antarctic ice, Brightness temperature, Microwave radiometry, Temperature measuring instruments, Thermal properties, Climate research |
| Geographic Terms: | Antarctica |
| Abstract: | Highlights: What are the main findings? SMAP L-band brightness temperature (TB) data (2015–2025) reveal a significant warming trend (>1.5 K over a decade) over West Antarctica, while East Antarctica shows seasonally dependent but no long-term TB trend. The τ-z model suggests that SMAP TB signals are most sensitive to internal ice temperatures at depths of 500–2000 m, thereby linking TB variability to subsurface thermal dynamics. What is the implication of the main finding? The observed L-band TB warming over West Antarctica is not caused by internal ice shelf temperature increases, differing from changes at the Antarctic margins. These results offer new insights into the thermal processes of the Antarctic ice sheet, enhancing our understanding of its role in global climate research and sea-level projections. The Antarctic ice sheet, Earth's largest ice mass, is vital to the global climate system. Analyzing its thermal behavior is crucial for sea-level projections and ice shelf assessments; however, internal temperature studies remain challenging due to the harsh environment and limited access to the site. Using ten years of Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) satellite passive microwave brightness temperature (TB) data (2015–2025), we examined changes in TB across Antarctica. Results show a stronger warming trend in West Antarctica, with TB increasing by over 1.5 K over a decade, while East Antarctica remains relatively stable, showing only seasonal summer warming and winter cooling. Furthermore, TB in the Antarctic region correlates best with internal temperatures at depths of 500–2000 m, as indicated by the effective soil temperature, as demonstrated by the modeling data and the τ-z model's inference. However, the total enthalpy is inconsistent with the TB trend and exhibits the opposite effect when combined with the sensing depth. By comparing the weak trend in surface ice temperature changes, we conclude that the TB warming trend observed on the western side of the Antarctic over the past decade does not originate from the increasing temperatures within the internal ice shelves, which differs from the increase in temperatures at the Antarctic margins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| Database: | Engineering Source |
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| Abstract: | Highlights: What are the main findings? SMAP L-band brightness temperature (TB) data (2015–2025) reveal a significant warming trend (>1.5 K over a decade) over West Antarctica, while East Antarctica shows seasonally dependent but no long-term TB trend. The τ-z model suggests that SMAP TB signals are most sensitive to internal ice temperatures at depths of 500–2000 m, thereby linking TB variability to subsurface thermal dynamics. What is the implication of the main finding? The observed L-band TB warming over West Antarctica is not caused by internal ice shelf temperature increases, differing from changes at the Antarctic margins. These results offer new insights into the thermal processes of the Antarctic ice sheet, enhancing our understanding of its role in global climate research and sea-level projections. The Antarctic ice sheet, Earth's largest ice mass, is vital to the global climate system. Analyzing its thermal behavior is crucial for sea-level projections and ice shelf assessments; however, internal temperature studies remain challenging due to the harsh environment and limited access to the site. Using ten years of Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) satellite passive microwave brightness temperature (TB) data (2015–2025), we examined changes in TB across Antarctica. Results show a stronger warming trend in West Antarctica, with TB increasing by over 1.5 K over a decade, while East Antarctica remains relatively stable, showing only seasonal summer warming and winter cooling. Furthermore, TB in the Antarctic region correlates best with internal temperatures at depths of 500–2000 m, as indicated by the effective soil temperature, as demonstrated by the modeling data and the τ-z model's inference. However, the total enthalpy is inconsistent with the TB trend and exhibits the opposite effect when combined with the sensing depth. By comparing the weak trend in surface ice temperature changes, we conclude that the TB warming trend observed on the western side of the Antarctic over the past decade does not originate from the increasing temperatures within the internal ice shelves, which differs from the increase in temperatures at the Antarctic margins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| ISSN: | 20724292 |
| DOI: | 10.3390/rs17223757 |
