SPEPS収録論文

The Antarctic and Southern Ocean region is a key component of the Earth’s climate system, where the atmosphere, sea ice, ocean, ice shelves and ice sheets, and solid Earth processes are intricately linked. These components interact across a wide range of scales, controlling the redistribution of heat and freshwater, the stability of the Antarctic Ice Sheet, and ultimately global sea level.　In the context of warming climates from the geological past to the projected future, this region is undergoing rapid transformations—including sea-ice decline, accelerated ice-sheet mass loss, and weakening ocean overturning—all of which are dynamically connected through nonlinear feedbacks. These changes also influence biogeochemical cycles, with implications for carbon storage, nutrient fluxes, and marine ecosystems. Understanding these changes—from recent observations to geological records—is critical for anticipating future responses of the Antarctic and Southern Ocean climate system and their broader impacts on the Earth’s climate, including sea-level rise.
This Special Issue aims to advance understanding of the Antarctic and Southern Ocean climate system across geological, observational, and future-projected timescales. We seek contributions that address the drivers and consequences of climate variability, including paleoenvironmental reconstructions, present-day dynamics, and model-based projections. Interdisciplinary studies integrating atmosphere–ocean–cryosphere–solid Earth and biogeochemical processes, and their interactions across space and time, are especially encouraged. By bridging past changes and emerging signals, this collection will help clarify system resilience, instability, and the potential for tipping points in a warming world.

Edited by: Kazuya Kusahara, Ikumi Oyabu, Takeshige Ishiwa, Kazutoshi Sato, Alexander D. Fraser, Ryosuke Makabe, Daiki Nomura