Rapidly melting Antarctic ice threatens to dramatically slow deep-water currents in the world’s oceans, scientists say, impacting the spread of fresh water, oxygen and life-sustaining nutrients for centuries.
Rapidly melting Antarctic ice threatens to dramatically slow deep-water currents in the world’s oceans, scientists say, impacting the spread of fresh water, oxygen and life-sustaining nutrients for centuries.
New modeling points to faster Antarctic ice melts driving a “substantial slowdown” of water circulation in the ocean depths if global carbon emissions remain high, researchers said in a study published in Nature on Wednesday.
The “overturning circulation” of waters in the deepest reaches of the oceans would slow by 40 percent by 2050 in a high-emissions scenario, according to the study, which warned of impacts that would last “for centuries to come”.
