Geophysical Research Letters· 2026Q1
Unprecedented Open‐Ocean Polynya in Breid Bay, East Antarctica in Winter 2024
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- Q1SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
An 89,121 km² open-ocean polynya formed in Breid Bay, East Antarctica, in August 2024, driven by six intense atmospheric rivers causing extreme warming and heat fluxes that prevented sea-ice growth.
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Key points
- An 89,121 km² open-ocean polynya formed in Breid Bay, East Antarctica, in August 2024.
- Sea-ice concentration dropped from ~96% to <25% in July 2024, preconditioning the area.
- Six intense atmospheric rivers caused extreme poleward moisture transport (>600 kg m⁻¹ s⁻¹), northerly winds, and heatwaves (~19°C warming).
- Atmospheric and oceanic heat fluxes (97 W m⁻² and 0.6°C warming) hindered sea-ice growth and sustained the polynya.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Abstract We document an unprecedented winter open‐ocean polynya in the Breid Bay, on 4 August 2024, attaining a maximum area of 89,121 km 2 . Prior to opening, sea‐ice concentration declined from ∼96% in early July to below 25% by 30 July 2024, indicating substantial preconditioning of the winter ice cover. The polynya formation was driven by integrated impact of six intense atmospheric rivers (ARs) during July‐August 2024, which generated extreme (>99th percentile) poleward moisture transport (>600 kg m −1 s −1 ), northerly winds, downwelling longwave radiation, atmospheric heatwaves with anomalous warming (∼19°C), increased snowfall (∼0.9 mm w.e. day −1 ), and large heat fluxes (∼97 W m −2 ), that hindered sea‐ice growth. Concurrently, Ekman suction–driven upwelling and enhanced eddy kinetic energy contributed to upper‐ocean warming (∼0.6°C) and sustained marine heatwaves, thereby increasing the ocean‐to‐ice heat flux. The repeated passage of extreme ARs and enhanced oceanic heat supply collectively facilitated the formation of the polynya.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Geophysical Research Letters, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Field: Atmospheric Science
Atmospheric ScienceEarth and Planetary Sciences