'Hole the size of Switzerland': Antarctica’s maud rise is freaking everyone

Produced by: Mohsin Shaikh

Icy Breach

A massive gap in Antarctic sea ice shocked scientists in 2017, opening above Maud Rise and staying open for weeks—longer than expected. NOAA called it a "climate mystery in motion."

Salt Surge

Ekman transport pushed dense, salty water beneath the ice, melting it from below. According to polar oceanographer Dr. Mojib Latif, this flow intensified the polynya’s size and lifespan.

Credit: Bureau of Meteorology

Seamount Effect

Maud Rise, an underwater mountain, stirs ocean currents. This swirling traps warm water, as confirmed by a 2019 Nature Geoscience study linking underwater topography to recurring polynyas.

Gyre Lift

The Weddell Gyre, a vast current system, strengthened in 2017. It dredged up warmer waters, softening ice from beneath—described by researchers as a “deep ocean breath.”

Storm Push

Fierce storms battered the region. A study in Science Advances revealed that extratropical cyclones physically moved ice outward, helping keep the hole exposed longer than expected.

Heat Rivers

Atmospheric rivers carried moisture and heat from faraway tropics to Antarctica’s icy heart. Scientists say this surface heating helped delay ice refreezing across the open water patch.

Echo Past

The polynya echoed similar openings seen between 1974–76. NASA's reanalysis data shows both events had similar ocean heat fluxes and storm activity—signs of cyclical yet warming-driven behavior.

Global Pulse

These icy openings ripple globally. The Southern Ocean’s deep convection affects Earth’s “conveyor belt,” a system moving heat and carbon that impacts everything from monsoons to marine life.

Carbon Spike

Polynyas vent CO₂ as upwelling waters surface. Climate physicist Dr. Joellen Russell warns this mechanism could amplify greenhouse effects, releasing ancient carbon stored in deep ocean layers.