Waves can break open Antarctic sea ice from within
New measurements show that local wind waves can open a polynya differently from previously assumed.
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Researchers have used rare measurements to show how waves can break open sea ice from within in the Antarctic coastal zone. The study concerns a recurring area of open water, not evidence that one specific event was caused by climate change.
The study was published in Nature Communications on 29 September and uses measurements from a wave buoy in the Vincennes Bay Polynya. A polynya is an open or nearly open area of water surrounded by sea ice. Such areas can play an important role in the formation of new sea ice and the exchange between the ocean and atmosphere.
According to the researchers, strong local winds can generate waves that break the surrounding ice outwards from the centre. This differs from the familiar situation in which swell from the open Southern Ocean damages the ice edge from the outside inwards.
The observations are unusual because few direct measurements exist of waves in an Antarctic polynya. Satellites can track the extent of open water and ice effectively, but show less directly which forces pull the ice apart over short timescales. The buoy measurements complement those observations.
The researchers write that wave activity may become more important as the climate changes. This is a model-based research conclusion about possible future dynamics, not a measurement of a global trend. The study also does not calculate how much additional sea-ice loss this would cause worldwide.
The research has been published openly and can be cited, but Nature Communications notes that this early version may still be replaced by a definitive version. The results are therefore part of the peer-review process, while details may still be adjusted in the final version.
The main significance lies in improving climate models. If models describe the interaction between wind, waves and sea ice more accurately, they can simulate regional changes in Antarctic sea-ice areas more precisely. That in itself says nothing about the development of the Antarctic ice sheet or future sea levels.
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The text stays close to the recent Nature Communications study and clearly distinguishes between direct measurements, possible climate implications and global conclusions. The publication status is presented cautiously.
- confirmed The study was published in Nature Communications on 29 September 2026. — The publication page states the publication date. source
- confirmed The researchers used rare wave-buoy measurements in the Vincennes Bay Polynya. — This is stated in the study's abstract. source
- confirmed Local wind waves can break sea ice outwards from within. — This is the central finding described in the title and abstract. source
- confirmed A polynya is an area of open water within or between sea ice. — The study describes polynyas as recurring areas of open water in sea ice. source
- confirmed The study does not prove a global trend or a direct cause through climate change. — This is a correct delimitation of what the local observational study does and does not investigate. source
Editor's note
The direct observations and the mechanism come from one recent open-access study. The possible significance for a changing climate is described by the authors as a direction for further research, not as an established global trend.Sources
- Inside-outward breakup of sea ice by locally generated waves in the Vincennes Bay Polynya — Nature Communications
- Arctic sea ice has reached minimum extent for 2026; Antarctic sea ice maximum most likely reached as well — National Snow and Ice Data Center
More on this in Dutch media
- De Telegraaf — „antartica zee-ijs”
- Trouw — „antartica zee-ijs”
- RTL Nieuws — „antartica zee-ijs”