Antarctic Ice Melt Threatens Global Ocean Currents
Melting ice around Antarctica will cause a rapid slowdown of a major global deep ocean current by 2050 that could alter the world’s climate for centuries and accelerate sea level rise. The current in the deepest parts of the ocean could slow down by 40% in only three decades, generating a cascade of impacts that could push up sea levels, alter weather patterns, and starve marine life of a vital source of nutrients. The slowdown in the deep ocean current relates to the amount of water that sinks to the bottom and then flows north.