chaizzilla

"At every station we sampled in the deep basin between Antarctica and Australia, the deep waters were cooler and less salty than they were 10 years ago. Our measurements suggest that the movement of water between the warm surface layers of the ocean and the cool deep layers is changing. Ocean circulation has a big influence on global climate, so it is critical that we understand why this is happening and why it is happening so quickly. We used to think of the deepest layers of the ocean as being very stable in their properties and current patterns. These new observations show that the dense water produced around the periphery of Antarctica is capable of rapid and widespread change."