Climate scientists have discovered that deep, warm currents in the polar regions of Antarctica have shifted rapidly towards its coasts over the past few decades
According to the press office of the University of Cambridge, this shift accelerates the warming of the base of the ice masses.
Joshua Lanheim, a researcher at the university, says: "Global climate models have indicated the possibility of such a shift in the pattern of currents, but until now we have had no evidence of these changes. Its discovery is particularly worrying, as this warm water could begin to erode the base of the Antarctic glaciers, destabilizing them."
According to him, the so-called Southern Ocean, which surrounds the coasts of Antarctica, plays a crucial role in shaping Earth's climate, facilitating the exchange of substances, heat, and gases between the ocean's deep layers and surface currents. Changes in this area could significantly accelerate global warming and noticeably impact the availability of nutrients for all marine life.
Scientists' calculations indicate that global warming may slow the formation of layers of cold, dense water that descend to great depths in the Southern Ocean, carrying with them large amounts of carbon dioxide and organic matter.
British and American climate scientists confirm these calculations by analyzing data collected between 2004 and 2025 by a network of surface and underwater buoys, as part of the Argo Ocean Science Programme.
Using artificial intelligence, scientists combined Argo data with more detailed measurements taken intermittently in the Southern Ocean by oceanographic research vessels, tracking changes in surface and deep current patterns off the coast of Antarctica over the past two decades. They discovered that warm deep currents are moving approximately 1.26 kilometers annually toward the Antarctic coast.
According to the researchers, these changes are increasing the flow of heat to the Antarctic regions, which could lead to rapid melting of sea ice bases and accelerated destabilization in the near future. The resulting warm freshwater will impede the cooling of warm surface waters and their subsequent sinking into the ocean, potentially slowing the deep ocean's absorption of excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
