Researchers have discovered the missing piece of the puzzle behind a rare hole in the sea ice around Antarctica that was nearly twice the size of Wales and occurred during the winter of 2016 and 2017. The study, published today [1. May 2024] in the journal Science Advances reveals a key process that has eluded scientists as to how the opening, called a polynya, could form and persist for weeks.

A team of scientists from the University of Southampton, the University of Gothenburg and the University of California San Diego studied the Maud Rise polynya - named after the submerged mountain formation in the Weddell Sea over which it grows.

They found that the polynya formed as a result of complex interactions between wind, ocean currents, and the unique geography of the ocean floor, which transports heat and salt toward the surface. (UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON, more at eurekalert.org)