The highest rates of Antarctic glacial ice mass loss are occurring to the west of the Antarctica Peninsula in regions where warming of subsurface continental shelf waters is also largest. However, the physical mechanisms responsible for this warming remain unknown. Here we show how localized changes in coastal winds off East Antarctica can produce significant subsurface temperature anomalies (>2 °C) around much of the continent. We demonstrate how coastal-trapped barotropic Kelvin waves communicate the wind disturbance around the Antarctic coastline. The warming is focused on the western flank of the Antarctic Peninsula because the circulation induced by the coastal-trapped waves is intensified by the steep continental slope there, and because of the presence of pre-existing warm subsurface water offshore. The adjustment to the coastal-trapped waves shoals the subsurface isotherms and brings warm deep water upwards onto the continental shelf and closer to the coast. This result demonstrates the vulnerability of the West Antarctic region to a changing climate.

南极冰川冰质流失率最高的地区是南极半岛以西，在该地区地下大陆架水的增温最大的地区。但是，导致这种变暖的物理机制仍然未知。在这里，我们展示了南极东部沿海风的局部变化如何在整个非洲大陆的大部分地区产生明显的地下温度异常（> 2°C）。我们演示了沿海陷留的正压开尔文波如何传达南极海岸线周围的风扰。变暖主要集中在南极半岛的西部，因为沿海陷波引起的环流由于那里陡峭的大陆斜坡而加剧，并且由于已经存在近海的温暖地下水。对沿岸滞留海浪的调整使地下等温线消散，将温暖的深水向上带到大陆架，并更靠近海岸。这一结果证明了南极西部地区对气候变化的脆弱性。