Come rain or snow: extreme precipitation in Antarctica

Dr Ella Gilbert, British Antarctic Survey (PolarRES project) Cambridge Fluids Network - fluids-related seminars 3 December 2024 11:00am Chemistry Dept, Unilever Lecture Theatre and Zoom The amount of ice locked up in the Antarctic ice sheets matters to all of us because it influences sea levels worldwide. And several regions have been losing ice at an accelerating rate in recent decades, including the West Antarctic and Antarctic Peninsula. Precipitation is the only factor that offsets ice losses, so influences the rate of sea level rise by moderating ice losses. Therefore, quantifying how much snow and rain falls - and under what circumstances - is of vital importance. In many regions, a high proportion of precipitation falls during extreme events, often associated with atmospheric features like storms and atmospheric rivers. In this talk, I will show some recent work exploring the drivers and consequences of extreme precipitation events in Antarctica, and try to place this within the context of recent and future climate change. Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84652645593?pwd=YlVPl7p9f8a0ft9pRgYJPI5QlXxVci.1