A new model examines how eddies in the Antarctic Circumpolar Current affect volume transport of the world's strongest current.
Antarctica
Posted inNews
Déjà Vu? Ocean Warmth Melted Ancient West Antarctic Ice Shelf
Clues in seafloor sediments reveal that relatively warm water beneath western Antarctic ice shelves, a major factor in today's massive ice sheet retreat, also fueled some past ice loss.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Tiny Creatures Form Massive, Bright Ring Around Antarctica
Dense algae populations in the Great Calcite Belt could cause carbon dioxide release from the ocean into the atmosphere.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
A Comparison of Surface Thinning in West Antarctic Glaciers
An uninterrupted 24-year altimetry record of Amundsen Sea Embayment glaciers indicates the initiation and pace of thinning have been inconsistent across the region.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
West Antarctic Ice Shelf Breaking Up from the Inside Out
Researchers trace the origin of a 2015 iceberg to a crack that formed deep beneath the ice.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Notorious Ocean Current Is Far Stronger Than Previously Thought
The Antarctic Circumpolar Current is the only ocean current to circle the planet and the largest wind-driven current on Earth. It's also 30% more powerful than scientists realized.
Posted inScience Updates
Space Weather from a Southern Point of View
A recently completed instrument array in Antarctica provides a more complete understanding of the near-Earth space environment.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Air-Sea Interactions Influence Major Southern Wind Belt
Ocean and atmospheric data provide evidence for how sea surface temperatures affect the Southern Annular Mode.
Posted inNews
Elephant Seals' Dives Show Slowdown in Ocean Circulation
Data from instruments mounted on elephant seals reveal that melting ice flushes fresh water into the Southern Ocean, suppressing an important arm of the global ocean circulation belt.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
What Steers Antarctica's Largest Current?
Scientists have observed that pressure from current-seafloor encounters drives the direction of the massive Antarctic Circumpolar Current in the Southern Ocean.