Research: Deep ocean temperature approaching Antarctica

Research led by the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom, published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment, revealed that deep ocean temperatures surrounding Antarctica have advanced toward the continental shelf over the past 20 years.

The study examined decades of ocean data collected from ships and autonomous floating measurement devices. The findings showed that the Circumpolar Deep Water, a mass of warm water, is expanding and approaching the Antarctic coastlines.

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Ice shelves are at risk.

Joshua Lanham, the lead author of the study, stated that the warm water could reach beneath Antarctica’s ice shelves, eroding them from below and weakening their structures.

Scientists noted that the complete melting of Antarctica’s ice sheets and glaciers would result in approximately 58 meters of global sea level rise, due to the large volume of freshwater contained within.

Researchers said this change, long predicted by climate models, has now been confirmed by observational data.

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A global climate warning.

Using machine learning methods, researchers reconstructed monthly ocean data from the past 40 years and identified changes in the warm water movement.

Scientists stated that 90 percent or more of the excess heat caused by global warming is absorbed by the oceans, with a significant portion stored in the Southern Ocean.

Researchers warned that the temperature changes around Antarctica could affect not only the melting of glaciers but also global heat, carbon, and nutrient cycles.