Southern Ocean's Changing Climate Raises Concerns for Melting Antarctic Ice.
The Antarctic bottom water, the coldest and saltiest water on the planet, is shrinking and heating up due to long-term changes in winds and sea ice, according to a report by the British Antarctic Survey. The volume of the cold bottom waters has shrunk by more than 20% over the past three decades, and ocean waters deeper than 2,000 meters have warmed four times faster than the rest of the global ocean. These changes can have far-reaching consequences for climate change and deep ocean ecosystems, as the deep waters play a crucial role in the ocean's ability to absorb excess heat and human-caused carbon pollution.