The accelerating ice mass loss in West Antarctica may have a significant impact on the global sea level and climate, and the understanding of ice-ocean interaction is of primary importance to better estimate the mass change in the future. In contrast to the clear changes in West Antarctic ice sheet, the current status of ice mass change in East Antarctica is still in debates. Recent studies have suggested Antarctic ice mass loss in the past warm periods, including East Antarctic mass loss through Totten Glacier. For accurate understanding and prediction of Antarctic ice mass changes, it is important to enhance in-situ and satellite observations of the Antarctic glacier, ice shelf, and surrounding ocean and sea ice. It is also urgently needed to develop new observational techniques using unmanned instruments, reconstruct the past ice and ocean variations, and to use the observational knowledge to refine numerical models on various spatial and temporal scales.
This session will be held under the support from Grantarctic (JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number JP17H06316).