Abstract: Sea ice is the largest ecosystem on Earth and plays a central role in the climate system. New record lows for Antarctic sea ice extent have been set in 2023, highlighting the urgent need to understand its dynamics in response to anthropogenic climate change. The marginal ice zone (MIZ), where sea ice properties are affected by interaction with ocean waves, is the exterior dynamic region that regulates air-sea heat and momentum exchanges at large spatial scales and, therefore, the seasonal cycle of advance and retreat. In this talk, I will present field measurements of waves and sea ice properties conducted during the Southern oCean seAsonaL Experiment (SCALE) in the winter and spring Antarctic marginal ice zone. Moreover, I will describe wave-sea ice feedback mechanisms and discuss the importance of including wave-related processes in future climate models.

Short Bio: Dr Alberto Alberello is now a senior research associate in the School of Mathematics of University of East Anglia. He graduated with his PhD in Science from Swinburne University of Technology (Australia; 2017) where he worked on extreme ocean waves. This was followed by postdoctoral experiences during which he investigated waves-sea ice interactions combining field measurements and physical and mathematical modelling in: Tokyo (Japan; as a fellow of the Japanese Society for the Promotion of Sciences), Torino (Italy), Adelaide (Australia) and Melbourne (Australia). As part of these projects, Alberto also led oceanographic data collection during 4 voyages to the Antarctic marginal ice zone, 3 of which in the austral winter, onboard the South African icebreaker SA Agulhas II as part of the Southern oCean seAsonaL Experiment (SCALE). His now research interests are in ice-ocean interaction dynamics, modelling atmosphere-ocean-ice interactions in the Southern Ocean and marginal ice zone using mathematical, numerical and physical modelling techniques with dedicated field and remote sensing measurements.