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Ice Sheet Boundaries © Hendrik Huwald
© Hendrik Huwald

DOMINO: Dynamic Changes in Air-Snow-Ice-Ocean Interactions with Global Warming

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DOMINO studies key climate processes linking the atmosphere, ice, snow, and ocean in Antarctica.

Antarctica and the Southern Ocean are undergoing rapid environmental changes with major consequences for the global climate system. The interconnected nature of physical and biogeochemical systems can produce cascading impacts and potential tipping points. Key processes occurring at the interface between the atmosphere, snow, floating and grounded ice, and the ocean regulate exchanges between climate compartments but remain poorly observed. The DOMINO Flagship Initiative establishes a multi-year observational framework embedded within the international Antarctica InSync program to better understand these processes. Using field measurements, satellite observations, and numerical models, the project will investigate atmospheric processes, ice sheet mass balance, snow–sea ice interactions, and ocean biogeochemistry.

Research Clusters

Our efforts are organized around these 4 research clusters:
Dronning
© Naki Akcar
Neumayer
© Bernd Wondratschek
Donning
© Alexis Berne
Donning
© Alfonso Ferrone
Atmospheric
© Iris Thurnherr
Southern
© Nina Schuback
Snow
© Iris Thurnherr
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© Yolanda Temel
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© Michael Lonardi
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© Michael Lonardi
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© Yolanda Temel
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© Michael Lonardi
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© Yolanda Temel
Southern Ocean Ice Sheet © Iris Thurnherr
© Iris Thurnherr

About DOMINO

Processes at the interface between air, snow, floating and grounded ice, and the ocean represent key “domino stones” that regulate the interaction between climate compartments in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean. However, these processes are largely under-sampled, and their variability under anthropogenic climate change is poorly constrained, making targeted observations urgent and timely.

The DOMINO Flagship Initiative puts forward a multi-annual observational framework focussing on these key “domino stones”, that is, cascading processes, with particular attention to extreme events affecting meridional and zonal exchange of heat, moisture and CO2 across climate system boundaries.

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DOMINO news

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16. March, 2026

Official Launch of DOMINO

As part of its 10th Anniversary celebrations in 2026, the Swiss Polar Institute is organising an event about Switzerland, the poles, high-altitude regions, and ambitions for 2035. This even will also…

LEARN MORE Official Launch of DOMINO