Climate models predict that as the planet warms up, the Southern Ocean will also warm. However, for decades, the water around Antarctica has become mysteriously cool. New research shows why.
With global warming, the region is increasing the amount of rainfall and ice melting, introducing freshwater into the southern seas. Freshwater is not as crowded as salt water, so it stays at the surface of the sea rather than sinking below. Fresh water acts like a lid and prevents warm water from rising, scientists say, and the effect is much greater than previously evaluated.
Until now, the model has not fully explained the effects of rain, particularly melting. Stanford University research author Earl Wilson said the impact of meltwater is “completely lacking from most climate models.”
The lack of freshwater he and his colleagues found account for 60% of the discrepancy between the predicted and actual temperatures. Survey results It was published in Geophysical research book.
“There was some debate about whether that meltwater was really important during a historic period,” said Zachary Kaufman, the lead research author at Stanford. “We show that it is.”
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