Southern Ocean Could Put Brakes On Warming Trend

Climatologists believe the Southern Ocean may slow the rate of global warming by absorbing significantly more heat and carbon dioxide than previously thought. The new study, appearing in the Journal of Climate, notes that westerly winds in the Southern Hemisphere have moved southward over the last 30 years. As the winds shift south, they can do a better job of transferring heat and carbon dioxide from the surface waters surrounding Antarctica into the deeper, colder waters, say the researchers.

Lead researcher, Joellen L. Russell, stressed that the effect won’t reverse or stop global warming, but will slow it. She noted that previous models of the Southern Hemisphere westerlies and Southern Ocean circulation did not have the winds properly located. In simulations of present-day climate, those models distorted the ocean’s response to future increases in greenhouse gases.

The new model does a better job of depicting the location and observed southward shift of the Southern Hemisphere atmospheric winds than do the previous models. Developed at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, it shows that the poleward shift of the westerlies intensifies the strength of the winds as they whip past the tip of South America and circumnavigate Antarctica.

“It’s like a huge blender,” Russell explained. “Those winds propel the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. The current drives the upwelling of cold water from more than two miles deep. The heavy, cold water comes to the surface and then sinks back down, carrying the carbon dioxide and heat with it.”

The poleward intensification of the westerlies will allow the ocean to remove additional heat and anthropogenic carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. “Because these winds have moved poleward, the Southern Ocean around Antarctica is likely to take up 20 percent more carbon dioxide than in a model where the winds are poorly located,” said Russell, an assistant professor of geosciences at The University of Arizona in Tucson. “More heat stored in the ocean means less heat stored in the atmosphere. That’s also true for carbon dioxide, the major greenhouse gas.”

While a slowing of the planet’s warming is welcome news, there is widespread concern at what effect raised CO2 levels will have on marine ecosystems. Adding more CO2 to the oceans will change their chemistry, making the water more acidic and less habitable for some marine organisms. As a next step, the team hopes to contribute to figuring out how warming, ice-melt and ongoing shifts in the Southern Hemisphere westerlies will affect the complex biogeochemistry of the Southern Ocean.

Related Articles
Carbon Isotopes Reveal Ancient, Abrupt Climate Change
New Climate Studies Predict Dire Future
Swimming Critters Add New Variable To Climate Confusion

Source: University of Arizona

, ,

Comments are closed.

SEPTIFER BILOCULARIS: FROM MY LAST SOUTHERN ASIA TRIP @ 31.87MM picture

SEPTIFER BILOCULARIS: FROM MY LAST SOUTHERN ASIA TRIP @ 31.87MM

$4.99



NEW YORK TO NEW ORLEANS SOUTHERN PACIFIC STEAMSHIPS TIN SIGN SHIP OCEAN picture

NEW YORK TO NEW ORLEANS SOUTHERN PACIFIC STEAMSHIPS TIN SIGN SHIP OCEAN

$15.00



UNION CASTLE LINE SOUTHERN RAILWAY LESLIE CARR ORIGINAL POSTER ARTWORK PAINTING picture

UNION CASTLE LINE SOUTHERN RAILWAY LESLIE CARR ORIGINAL POSTER ARTWORK PAINTING

$1591.56



Postcard-LARGE LETTER-

Postcard-LARGE LETTER-"Greetings From Southern California"-Beach-Ocean-Vtg-PC

$5.55



1915 Grocery Retailer’s Journal , Southern Californias Illustrated Ocean Park Ad picture

1915 Grocery Retailer’s Journal , Southern Californias Illustrated Ocean Park Ad

$49.99



(rt7) Boy Scouts -  1969 Ocean County NJ Southern Cross Camporee  patch picture

(rt7) Boy Scouts - 1969 Ocean County NJ Southern Cross Camporee patch

$9.99



Rare SAN DIEGO Old West Southern California Pacific Ocean Coast 1875 Newspaper picture

Rare SAN DIEGO Old West Southern California Pacific Ocean Coast 1875 Newspaper

$35.00



Postcard Southern California Beach Near Laguna Ocean Palms Chrome picture

Postcard Southern California Beach Near Laguna Ocean Palms Chrome

$3.75



Robert Oster Great Southern Ocean Blue 50ml Bottled Ink for Fountain Pens NEW picture

Robert Oster Great Southern Ocean Blue 50ml Bottled Ink for Fountain Pens NEW

$19.95



San Luis Obispo CA Sea Captain Mallagh Provides Appraisal, Refuses Rebel Request picture

San Luis Obispo CA Sea Captain Mallagh Provides Appraisal, Refuses Rebel Request

$325.00



Powered by WordPress. Designed by WooThemes