Researchers believe that deep ocean currents near Antarctica may be heading for a collapse. Scientists from the University of New South Wales came to this conclusion through a study released on March 29.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says that ocean currents play a fundamental role in regulating the planet’s climate and weather patterns by directing the flow of moisture throughout the planet.
“Ocean currents act much like a conveyer belt, transporting warm water and precipitation from the equator toward the poles and cold water from the poles back to the tropics,” said the NOAA. “Thus, currents regulate global climate, helping to counteract the uneven distribution of solar radiation reaching Earth’s surface.”
The NOAA also said that temperatures would be more extreme and the habitability of the planet would be impacted without regulation from these currents.
Researchers in the new study observed that the cold water sinking near Antarctica drives the deepest flow of the network of the world’s global currents, known as overturning circulation. This overturning allows for the distribution of heat, oxygen, and nutrients throughout the world.
Professor Matthew England at the University of New South Wales in Sydney remarked in a press release that “if the oceans had lungs, this [flow of water] would be one of them.”
The scientists observed data that suggests the flow is beginning to slow down.
“Our modeling shows that if global carbon emissions continue at the current rate, then the Antarctic overturning will slow by more than 40 percent in the next 30 years — and on a trajectory that looks headed towards collapse,” said England.
Scientists used models from the study to determine how melted water can impact the flow of the currents and determined that the increase in warmed water would cause the oceans above 4,000 meters (13,123 feet) to “stagnate.”
“Direct measurements confirm that warming of the deep ocean is indeed already underway,” said Dr. Steve Rintoul, co-author of the study, in the press release.
England further said this disruption in the coming decades could result in the “long-term extinction of an iconic water mass.”
“Such profound changes to the ocean’s overturning of heat, freshwater, oxygen, carbon and nutrients will have a significant adverse impact on the oceans for centuries to come,” England said.