• online ordering system for restaurants
  • The best online ordering systems for restaurants
  • WATCH LIVE LIVE
    MTV
    ONETV
  • NEWSCASTS
  • بالـعـربـيـة
  • PROGRAMS SITE
  • HOME
  • Politics
    • Local
    • International
    • Geagea's tweet following suspension of cash aid to refugees
      Geagea's tweet following suspension of cash aid to refugees
    • Berri holds series of meetings at Ain El-Tineh
      Berri holds series of meetings at Ain El-Tineh
    • Hamieh bound for South Korea to partake in Global Implementation Support Symposium
      Hamieh bound for South Korea to partake in Global Implementation Support Symposium
    • Brazil to Host COP30 Climate Summit in the Amazon in 2025
      Brazil to Host COP30 Climate Summit in the Amazon in 2025
    • City's Haaland Named Premier League Player of the Season
      City's Haaland Named Premier League Player of the Season
    • France, Netherlands ink deal on Caribbean 'Footrace Frontier'
      France, Netherlands ink deal on Caribbean 'Footrace Frontier'
  • Business
      Business
    • German economy entered recession as inflation hurts consumers
      German economy entered recession as inflation hurts consumers
    • NATO member state reports growing exports to Russia
      NATO member state reports growing exports to Russia
    • Saudi warns speculators of more pain as OPEC+ meeting looms
      Saudi warns speculators of more pain as OPEC+ meeting looms
  • Life
    • Health
    • Beauty
    • Nutrition
    • Don't Delay Reforms to Prepare for Next Pandemic, WHO Chief Says
      Don't Delay Reforms to Prepare for Next Pandemic, WHO Chief Says
    • WHO Advises Not to Use Non-Sugar Sweeteners for Weight Control
      WHO Advises Not to Use Non-Sugar Sweeteners for Weight Control
    • Growing Food Insecurity in Teens Can Have Long-Lasting Effects
      Growing Food Insecurity in Teens Can Have Long-Lasting Effects
  • Stars
      Stars
    • Celine Dion Cancels Entire World Tour After Incurable Diagnosis
      Celine Dion Cancels Entire World Tour After Incurable Diagnosis
    • Niall Horan announces 2024 tour
      Niall Horan announces 2024 tour
    • Tina Turner honoured at lakeside Swiss home where she died
      Tina Turner honoured at lakeside Swiss home where she died
  • Varieties
      Varieties
    • Hundreds of Newly Discovered Species Under Threat in Southeast Asia
      Hundreds of Newly Discovered Species Under Threat in Southeast Asia
    • Global Temperature Rise Could See Billions Live in Places Where Human life Does Not Flourish
      Global Temperature Rise Could See Billions Live in Places Where Human life Does Not Flourish
    • Global Loss of Wildlife is ‘Significantly More Alarming’ than Previously Thought
      Global Loss of Wildlife is ‘Significantly More Alarming’ than Previously Thought
  • Sports
      Sports
    • City's Haaland Named Premier League Player of the Season
      City's Haaland Named Premier League Player of the Season
    • Last of the 'Big Three' standing, Djokovic eyes Grand Slam record
      Last of the 'Big Three' standing, Djokovic eyes Grand Slam record
    • Alonso sees an opportunity on the streets of Monaco
      Alonso sees an opportunity on the streets of Monaco
  • Special Reports
  • {{item.keyword}}
NEWS {{results.articlesCount}}
  • {{item.title}}

More
  • بالـعـربـيـة
  • HOME
  • Politics
    • Local
    • International
  • Business
  • Life
    • Health
    • Beauty
    • Nutrition
  • Stars
  • Varieties
  • Sports
  • Special Reports
  • ABOUT MTV
  • PRODUCTION
  • ADVERTISE
  • CAREERS
  • CONTACT
  • PROGRAMS SITE
  • NEWSCASTS
  • MTV LIVE
  • ONE TV LIVE

MOST READ

  • {{article.title}}

Rising Antarctic ice melt will dramatically slow global ocean flows, study finds

Next
  • Mexico rises alert level on ‘Popo’ volcano near Mexico City Mexico rises alert level on ‘Popo’ volcano near Mexico City
  • Makary contacts Shamseddine after Sidon beach assault Makary contacts Shamseddine after Sidon beach assault
  • Magnitude 5.5 earthquake strikes offshore northern California region Magnitude 5.5 earthquake strikes offshore northern California region
  • China says US chipmaker Micron failed national security review China says US chipmaker Micron failed national security review
Reuters

Reuters

29 Mar 2023 20:44

  • A-
  • A+
A+
Rising Antarctic ice melt will dramatically slow global ocean flows, study finds

Rapidly melting Antarctic ice is dramatically slowing down the flow of water through the world's oceans, and could have a disastrous impact on global climate, the marine food chain and even the stability of ice shelves, new research has found.

The "overturning circulation" of the oceans, driven by the movement of denser water towards the sea floor, helps deliver heat, carbon, oxygen and vital nutrients around the globe.

But deep ocean water flows from the Antarctic could decline by 40% by 2050, according to a study published on Wednesday in the journal Nature.

"That's stunning to see that happen so quickly," said Alan Mix, a paleoclimatologist at Oregon State University and co-author on the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assessments, who was not involved in the study. "It appears to be kicking into gear right now. That's headline news."

As temperatures rise, freshwater from Antarctica's melting ice enters the ocean, reducing the salinity and density of the surface water and diminishing that downward flow to the sea's bottom.

While past research has looked at what could happen to similar overturning circulation in the North Atlantic - the mechanism behind the doomsday scenario that would see Europe suffer from an Arctic blast as heat transport falters - less has been done on Antarctic bottom water circulation.

Scientists relied on around 35 million computing hours over two years to crank through a variety of models and simulations up to the middle of this century, finding deepwater circulation in the Antarctic could weaken at twice the rate of decline in the North Atlantic.

"They are massive volumes of water... and they are bits of the ocean that have been stable for a long time," said study co-author Matthew England, an oceanographer at the University of New South Wales, in a news briefing.

BASE OF THE FOOD CHAIN
The effect of meltwater on global ocean circulation has not yet been included in the complex models used by the IPCC to describe future climate change scenarios, but it is going to be considerable, England said.

Ocean overturning allows nutrients to rise up from the bottom, with the Southern Ocean supporting about three-quarters of global phytoplankton production, the base of the food chain, said a second study co-author, Steve Rintoul.

"If we slow the sinking near Antarctica, we slow down the whole circulation and so we also reduce the amount of nutrients that get returned from the deep ocean back up to the surface," said Rintoul, a fellow at Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO).

The study's findings also suggest the ocean would not be able to absorb as much carbon dioxide as its upper layers become more stratified, leaving more CO2 in the atmosphere.

The study showed that warm water intrusions in the western Antarctican ice shelf would increase, but it did not look at how this might create a feedback effect and generate even more melting.

"It doesn't include the disaster scenarios," said Mix. "In that sense, it's actually kind of conservative."

TWEET YOUR COMMENT

KEEP READING

ALSO READ

COOKIES DISCLAIMER
This website uses cookies to give you the best experience. By continuing to browse this site, you give us your consent for cookies to be used. For more information, click here.
Accept All Cancel
NEWSLETTER

UPDATES BY EMAIL no spam. unsubscribe anytime

CONNECT
  • @mtvlebanon Follow @mtvlebanon
  • mtvlebanon
  • mtvlebanonnews
  • @mtvlebanonnews Follow @mtvlebanonnews
  • mtvlebanonnews
  • mtvlebanon
DOWNLOAD
WHATSAPP Service
Stay Up-To-Date with our latest news!
  • ABOUT MTV
  • PRODUCTION
  • ADVERTISE
  • CAREERS
  • CONTACT
  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy
NEWS
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Life
  • Stars
  • Varieties
  • Sports
  • Special Reports
  • Authors
PROGRAMS
  • Today
  • This week
  • WATCH LIVE
  • HOW TO WATCH MTV

© mtv Lebanon. All rights reserved.

Ⓚ website by koein