The climate is changing and we are tired of hearing about it, yes, but this is what it means to face a climate crisis unprecedented in human history. Although all news may seem identical, it is not, and some are more disturbing than others. This, for example, is one of those things that has to glue us to the screen to understand exactly what is happening. Because the Antarctic Current appears to be accelerating, this means that Antarctic ice is in more trouble than we thought.
If you've made it this far, into this second paragraph, you're probably wondering why we should care about snow itself, the same reason you should wear light clothing in the summer. The darker the surface, the more heat it retains, and the less ice there is on the planet, the warmer the Earth becomes. So, climate change is accelerating the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, which makes Antarctica melt faster, which in turn means it also accelerates climate change. We can compare it to a ball rolling down a hill, and the further it rolls, the faster it goes and the harder it is to stop.
To draw these conclusions, researchers had to delve into the history of our planet and the waters of the South Pacific Ocean, specifically at Point Nemo, farthest from any coast. There they drilled the ocean floor 3,600 kilometers below the surface and extracted two columns of sediment, one at a depth of 145 meters and the other at a depth of 213 metres. These plumes are actually the result of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current leaving particles of varying sizes in its wake for millions of years.
Because although the Antarctic current is now the strongest on the planet and It transports 100 times more water than all the rivers on the planet combinedIt wasn't always like this. now It connects the Indian Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean This occurred at its widest point 2000 km of section. But this oceanic giant has Only 34 million years oldWhen tectonic forces separated Antarctica from other continental masses and ice sheets began to accumulate. Although it is actually newer in its current form, because It did not begin to flow as it does now until about 12 or 14 million years ago..
The important point is that based on these cores, a group of 40 scientists from institutions spread across 12 countries, We were able to track changes in the flow of this stream over the past 5.3 million years across three epochs: the hot Pliocene, the variable Pleistocene, and the Holocene, which began just 12,000 years ago.. The deeper the layer in sedimentary columns, the older the time at which they were deposited, and the greater the caliber of the rock particles, the more intense the current was at that time.
So say the experts They were able to link the planet's temperature to the flow of the Antarctic Current. In fact, this confirms other data we already had, such as a 40% increase in the last 40 years in winds over the Southern Ocean, which is one of the factors that determine current flow. now It flows around Antarctica at a speed of 4 kilometers per hour, transporting between 165 and 182 million cubic meters of water per second. Naturally, the more water reaches Antarctica from warmer places, the greater the temperature exchange between the ocean and the Antarctic ice, causing it to melt faster than we expected. Which is that, According to computer models, the current is expected to increase significantly if we do not stop climate change.
Added to all this is another detail, which is that this current is also linked to an increase in the emission of carbon dioxide, which is the main greenhouse gas. So, The hotter the planet gets, the more current flows and the more carbon dioxide is released.. But the more carbon dioxide is released, the more greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and the higher temperatures.to start the vicious circle again.
Experts issue a very cautious conclusion. “If this is true,” they say, “then a future increase in Antarctic current flow as the climate warms would represent a continuation of the pattern observed in instrumental records, with potentially negative consequences.” Which means, in translation, that, If other independent studies confirm their conclusions, our climate crisis could get a little worse.
Don't be known:
- Fear is not the best way to raise climate awareness, especially when it is not directly in our hands as individuals to stop certain industrial processes, but there are times when the data is what it is and looks unpleasant.
References (MLA):
- “Five million years of fluctuation in the strength of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current.” nature10.1038/s41586-024-07143-3
