A team of international scientists warns that the world’s most powerful ocean current, the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC), will weaken by 20 percent in the next quarter century. This weakening would have severe consequences, including increased climate variability and accelerated global warming.
The ACC plays a crucial role in mixing water from the planet’s largest ocean basins, including the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic. If it weakens, regions may experience hot spots or cold spots, leading to toxic algal blooms and increased marine heatwaves.
According to lead author Bishakhdatta Gayen, human-caused warming has driven the planet’s temperature past the Paris Agreement limit for two years. The ACC slowdown would exacerbate these effects, with potentially dire consequences for coastal areas and ecosystems around the world.
The study’s findings are based on simulations of freshwater input from melting Antarctic ice, which is expected to drive changes in ocean patterns and density. The researchers used a high-resolution model to simulate the ACC’s response to these changes, suggesting that the current will slow down by 20 percent over the next 30 years.
Gayen emphasized the importance of understanding the complex interactions between temperature, salinity, and freshwater input into the ACC. He noted that uncertainties surrounding ice melt rates make it difficult to predict exactly how much the ACC will weaken.
The study’s results have significant implications for global climate modeling and our understanding of the ocean’s role in regulating Earth’s temperature. As the planet continues to warm, it is essential to monitor the health of the world’s oceans and take action to mitigate the impacts of climate change.
Source: https://insideclimatenews.org/news/03032025/global-warming-will-weaken-antarctic-circumpolar-current