Scientists have raised alarms regarding the deceleration of the world’s most powerful ocean current, a phenomenon attributed to climate change, which may lead to significant consequences such as rising sea levels and increased ocean temperatures. The Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC), a clockwise flow that is over four times more potent than the Gulf Stream, is crucial for maintaining the planet’s climate stability. It plays a vital role in regulating the absorption of heat and carbon dioxide in the ocean while preventing warmer waters from encroaching upon Antarctica.
Research conducted by scholars at the University of Melbourne and published in Environmental Research Letters indicates that this current could experience a reduction in speed of approximately 20 percent by the year 2050 under a “high carbon emissions scenario.” This slowdown is primarily driven by the melting ice shelves surrounding Antarctica, which release substantial amounts of fresh water into the saline ocean. This alteration in ocean salinity triggers a cascade of effects, including the weakening of the process by which surface ocean water sinks to the depths (known as Antarctic Bottom Water) and, according to the study, a reduction in the intensity of the powerful ocean jet encircling Antarctica. Notably, the researchers utilized Australia’s most advanced supercomputer and climate simulator, GADI, located at Access National Research Infrastructure in Canberra, to arrive at these concerning conclusions. Climate scientist Dr. Taimoor Sohail, who is affiliated with the study, emphasized that the 2015 Paris Agreement aimed to restrict global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels; however, many scientists believe that this threshold has already been surpassed, with further warming likely to exacerbate the melting of Antarctic ice.
