Is the Antarctic-driven abyssal ocean overturning doomed in 2050?
Posted on April 11, 2023 by curryja | 18 Comments
by Frank Bosse
Probably not, in spite of the recent headlines.
A recent article in Nature Abyssal ocean overturning slowdown and warming driven by Antarctic meltwater by England et al. (hereafter E23) caused quite a stir in the media. The BBC wrote:Antarctic Ocean currents heading for collapse – report.
E23 built a model to describe the formation and behavior of abyssal water masses around Antarctica. The Antarctic abyssal waters are important due to its impact on the overturning circulation (AOC) – the lower cell of the Meridional Overturning Curculation (MOC) – which overturns heat, freshwater, oxygen, carbon and nutrients in the abyssal ocean. The AOC directly influences warming and the availability of nutrients to support marine life near the surface of the ocean.
Here is a schematic of the global MOC:
https://judithcurry.com/2023/04/11/is-the-antarctic-driven-abyssal-ocean-overturning-doomed-in-2050/
