Ice-shelf elevation changes due to atmospheric pressure variations

The inverse barometer effect (IBE) is the isostatic response of ocean surface height to changes in atmospheric pressure (Pair) at a rate of about 1 cm hPa-1. The IBE is a significant contributor to variability of ice-shelf surface elevation (ηice), as we demonstrate with simultaneous global positioning system measurements of ηice and local measurements of Pair from the Amery, Brunt and Ross Ice Shelves, Antarctica. We find that an IBE correction is justified for frequencies (ω) covering the "weather band", 0.03 < ω < 0.5 cpd (cycles per day). The IBE correction reduces the standard deviation of the weather-band signal of ηice from ∼9 cm to ∼3 cm. With this correction, the largest remaining high-frequency error signal in ηice is the inaccuracy of the present generation of Antarctic tide models, estimated to be of order 10 cm for most of Antarctica.