Climate Change: Antarctic Ocean Is Not Affected

Antarctic Ocean could be among the last places for a human-driven climate change to happen. A new study at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and University of Washington shows that ocean currents provide answers behind the seawater's remaining at around the same temperature while the majority of the Earth has warmed.

The distinct currents surrounding the Antarctic Ocean consistently pull deep and centuries-old water up to its surface - the seawater that last touched the atmosphere of the planet prior to the machine age, has not encountered climate change related to fossil fuel.  Lead author Kyle Armour noted that increase in carbon dioxide is only seen at one pole instead of warming at both poles, which means something else could be going on. The paper has been published in the May 30 issue of Nature Geoscience.

Antarctic Ocean's gale-force westerly winds that move surface water to the north consistently draw up water from below. The waters come from such depths and from distant sources that have experienced modern global warming. Also, other areas in the oceans such as the equator and the west coast of the Americas draw seawater up from a number of hundred meters depth, yet does not have the same effect, Accuweather reported.

The water that surfaces off Antarctica last saw the planet's atmosphere centuries ago in the North Atlantic. Later, it sank and then followed circuitous paths via the world's oceans prior to resurfacing of Antarctica, after some hundreds or even a thousand years more.

Delayed in the warming of the Antarctic Ocean is usually observed in global climate models. However, the cause had been falsely identified as frigid seas that put additional heat downward. The data from Argo observational floats and other instruments were used by the researchers to locate the path of the missing heat.

The study of Antarctic Ocean used dyes in model simulations to indicate that the seawater, which has experienced most climate change has the tendency to gather around the North Pole - another reason why the Arctic ocean bears the brunt of global warming, while Antarctica is mostly unaware, according to the Daily Mail.