ABSTRACT
Antarctica has experienced significant climatic changes in recent decades, including rapid warming, accelerated glacier melting in West Antarctica and the Antarctic Peninsula, and extremes in sea ice extent. Until 2015, sea ice increased across much of the Antarctic region, except in the Amundsen and Bellingshausen Seas, before a sudden retreat occurred. These changes are largely driven by global atmospheric forces, with stratospheric ozone loss and increasing greenhouse gases playing key roles. Ozone depletion strengthens the Southern Annular Mode, altering atmospheric circulation and impacting Antarctic temperatures and sea ice. In addition to these drivers, the changes in zonal asymmetry, particularly those dramatic changes over West Antarctica, are largely attributed to tropical teleconnections influenced by oceanic decadal variabilities. This chapter reviews the interplay between atmospheric teleconnections, greenhouse gases, and ozone dynamics in driving Antarctic climate change, and highlights the importance of advancements in observation systems, dynamical models, and artificial intelligence for future research.
