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Articles on Southern ocean

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Jan Lieser

As Antarctic sea ice continues its dramatic decline, we need more measurements and much better models to predict its future

Antarctic sea ice is now nearly 9% below norma. But the dramatic decline is not universal around the continent, which makes it difficult to predict the overall impact of climate change.
The Weddell Sea helps power the great ocean conveyor, which moves heat, carbon dioxide and nutrients around Earth’s ocean basins. Janelle Lugge/Shutterstock

Slowing deep Southern Ocean current may be linked to natural climate cycle – but that’s no reason to stop worrying about melting Antarctic ice

Freshening seawater around Antarctica is disrupting a global ocean conveyor which regulates the climate.
Himawari-8

Smoke from the Black Summer fires created an algal bloom bigger than Australia in the Southern Ocean

This enormous, unprecedented algal bloom could have profound implications for carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere and for the marine ecosystem.
The big wildcard for sea level rise is Antarctica. James Eades/Unsplash

Antarctica is headed for a climate tipping point by 2060, with catastrophic melting if carbon emissions aren’t cut quickly

If emissions continue at their current pace, Antarctica will cross a threshold into runaway sea rise when today’s kids are raising families. Pulling CO2 out of the air later won’t stop the ice loss.
Shutterstock/CherylRamalho

An ocean like no other: the Southern Ocean’s ecological richness and significance for global climate

The Southern (Antarctic) Ocean is our planet’s primary storage of heat and carbon, and it’s home to extraordinary life forms, from tiny algae and spineless creatures to penguins, seals and whales.

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