Antarctic ice mass variations from 1979 to 2017 driven by anomalous precipitation accumulation

Antarctic ice mass balance is determined by precipitation and ice discharge, and understanding their relative contributions to contemporary Antarctic ice mass change is important to project future ice mass loss and resulting sea level rise. There has been evidence that anomalous precipitation affects Antarctic ice mass loss estimates, and thus the precipitation contribution should be understood and considered in future projections. In this study, we revisit changes in Antarctic ice mass over recent decades and examine precipitation contributions over this period. We show that accumulated (time-integrated) precipitation explains most inter-annual anomalies of Antarctic ice mass change during the GRACE period (2003–2017). From 1979 to 2017, accumulated Antarctic precipitation contributes to significant ice mass loss acceleration in the Pacific sector and deceleration in the Atlantic-Indian Sectors, forming a bi-polar spatial pattern. Principal component analysis reveals that such a bi-polar pattern is likely modulated by the Southern Annular Mode (SAM). We also find that recent ice mass loss acceleration in 2007 is related to a variation in precipitation accumulation. Overall ice discharge has accelerated at a steady rate since 1992, but has not seen a recent abrupt increase.