ABOVE: Map showing areas of ocean circulation acceleration (orange) and deceleration (blue)
SHIJIAN HU
Contrary to previous predictions, the circulation of water in the world’s oceans appears to be accelerating, according to a study published in Science Advances today (February 5). Although the implications for this trend are, as yet, unknown, the discovery will be critical for informing future models of climate change, researchers say.
“This is quite an exciting paper,” says Joellen Russell, a geoscientist at the University of Arizona who was not involved in the study. “I think the results are robust, I think they’re important, and I think they are a little shocking,” she says.
The water of the Earth’s oceans is continuously circulating around the planet via currents, gyres, and eddies. These movements regulate the Earth’s climate by dispersing heat—they transport warm water from the tropics to the polar regions and drive cooler water back via the ...
