Unprecedented changes in the Southern Ocean detected by satellites

The Southern Ocean has experienced unprecedented changes since 2016. Most notably are 1) a reduction in sea ice cover and 2) the appearance of offshore polynyas not seen since the 1970s. Several hypotheses have been put forward to explain both these events, including atmospheric (e.g. winds, atmospheric rivers) and oceanic (e.g. upwelling) drivers. To help explain what has occurred over the past decade we use the first regional product of sea surface salinity (SSS) in the Southern Ocean derived by satellites as part of the SO-FRESH project. We combine this new dataset with sea ice observations from satellites as well as with in situ observations and models to show that both atmospheric and oceanic processes are involved in the observed changes, highlighting the complexity of the ice-ocean-atmosphere system in the Southern Ocean.