Improving projections of the risk of ocean-driven Antarctic ice melt

The risk of continued ocean-driven ice loss from Antarctica is profound, with the potential to raise global sea level by many metres over the coming centuries. Over 85% of the Australian population currently live within the coastal zone susceptible to sea level rise and $226 billion in Australian infrastructure assets are at risk of inundation and erosion hazards by 2100. Yet projections of Antarctic ice loss are highly uncertain and more accurate projections of sea level rise are needed for future coastal adaptation. This project will improve projections of future rates of sea level rise stemming from Antarctic ice melt by developing new fundamental understanding of the complex ocean processes that drive melting. New ocean modelling capability will be developed that represents the fine-scale ocean processes that bring warm ocean waters into contact with the Antarctic ice sheet and drive melt. This new modelling capability will have broad use by researchers in the national an