Antarctic Ice Melt Reshapes Southern Ocean Carbon Sink

The Southern Ocean’s low-salinity water locked away CO2 for decades, but...

Climate models suggest that climate change could reduce the Southern Ocean’s ability to absorb carbon dioxide (CO2). However, observational data actually shows that this ability has seen no significant decline in recent decades. In a recent study, researchers from the Alfred Wegener Institute have discovered what may be causing this. Low-salinity water in the upper ocean has typically helped to trap carbon in the deep ocean, which in turn …

Melting ice is hiding a massive climate secret beneath Antarctica

The Southern Ocean absorbs nearly half of all ocean-stored human CO2, but its future role is uncertain. Despite models predicting a decline, researchers found that freshening surface waters are currently keeping deep CO2 trapped below. This stratification effect may be only temporary, as intensifying winds bring deep, carbon-rich water closer to the surface. If mixing increases, the Southern Ocean could begin releasing more CO2 than it absorbs.

Southern Ocean Is Building a 'Burp' That Could Reignite Global Warming

The Southern Ocean has been dutifully gobbling up a century's worth of carbon dioxide and heat released by human activities, but when we finally let go of our fossil fuel habit, it might come back to haunt us. In a new paper, climate scientists from Germany predict that when we humans eventually stop releasing greenhouse gases into the air, and the world ultimately cools down, the Southern Ocean shall let out a tremendous and abrupt 'burp' of he…

Southern Ocean may release centuries of trapped heat via a 'burp'

Researchers took the help of the UVic v. 2.9 model and built an ideal scenario where emissions witness a downward spiral.

Climate Models Missed Something Big About the Southern Ocean. The Truth Is More Worrying

A study by the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) offers a possible explanation for why the ocean surrounding Antarctica continues to absorb carbon dioxide, contrary to climate model predictions and despite the ongoing effects of climate change. Climate projections have long indicated that global warming might weaken the Southern Ocean’s capacity to absorb carbon dioxide (CO2). [...]