Antarctic circulation could slow by more than 40% over the next three decades, with significant implications for the oceans and climate. Such decline of the ocean circulation will stagnate the bottom of the oceans and generate further impacts affecting climate and marine ecosystems for centuries to come.
Cold water that sinks near Antarctica drives the deepest flow of the overturning circulation — a network of currents that spans the world’s oceans. The overturning carries heat, carbon, oxygen and nutrients around the globe. This influences climate, sea level and the productivity of marine ecosystems.
According to a release, Matthew England, Deputy Director of the ARC Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science (ACEAS) at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, says the modelling shows that if global carbon emissions continue at the current rate, then the Antarctic overturning will slow by more than 40% in the next 30 years — and on a trajectory that looks headed towards collapse.