Speaker
Description
The Antarctic Ice Sheet (AIS) is one of the global core climate tipping elements on Earth. However, its impact on the global carbon cycle remains critically ignored in the current global carbon budget. This is especially important because the Antarctic Sedimentary Basins (ASBs) are believed to harbor significant reservoirs, ca. 400 Pg C, of the potent greenhouse gas methane (CH4) stored as gas hydrates. Gas hydrates can form and are stable under a combination of specific high pressure and low temperature conditions: the gas hydrate stability zone (GHSZ). Yet, the exact size of this zone, its spatial distribution and thus its vulnerability to projected ice mass loss remains unknown.
Here, we present the first comprehensive spatial mapping of the GHSZ beneath the AIS, quantifying its volume and tracing its evolution from the onset of glaciation 40 million years ago through to the year 3000 under two Shared Socio-economic Pathways: SSP1-2.6 and SSP5-8.5.
Initial results indicate that the present-day GHSZ volume beneath the AIS ranges from 1.5 to 1.65 x1e6 km3. A significant portion of this volume resides in the subglacial environment, predominantly beneath parts of the East Antarctic Ice sheet. In a next step, we will quantify the amount of CH4 that is has accumulated over glaciation times within this stability zone and identify its vulnerability to the shrinking GHSZ.
| If your abstract is not accepted for an oral presentation, would you be interested in presenting it as a poster instead? | Yes |
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| If accepted by the Scientific Board, I agree to have my presentation/poster and abstract published on the Belgian Climate Centre websites and social media. | Yes |
