NZ-linked ‘atmospheric rivers’ behind record melting of Antarctic ice shelf

Triangular yellow tents in an expanse of ice. Tyre tracks surround the tents and the sky is blue with white clouds. Understanding polar ice sheet dynamics is part of understanding sea-level rise.
McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. Photo by Dao Polsiri.

Intense tropical thunderstorms triggered by cold weather in New Zealand has been linked to ice-shelf melt in Antarctica, new research has found.

Kyle Clem from the Victoria University of Wellington led the research and explained intense tropical thunderstorms near Fiji, triggered by strong cold fronts that moved north from New Zealand, can generate an “atmospheric river” of warm, moist air which heads towards the Antarctic Peninsula.

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