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Fresher waters in the Southern Ocean trapped CO2 at depth for decades

Nature Climate Change volume 15, pages 1152–1153 (2025)Cite this article

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A human-driven increase in upwelling of carbon-rich deep waters threatens the efficiency of the Southern Ocean carbon sink, which substantially mitigates global warming. Long-term observations reveal that surface freshening since the 1990s has acted as a barrier, preventing CO2 release to the atmosphere and, temporarily, preserving the Southern Ocean’s role in slowing down climate change.

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Fig. 1: Effect of wind and stratification changes on Southern Ocean deep water upwelling.

References

  1. Lee, S. et al. Human-induced changes in the global meridional overturning circulation are emerging from the Southern Ocean. Commun. Earth Environ. 4, 69 (2023). This article presents evidence that upwelling in the Southern Ocean has intensified as a result of human activity.

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This is a summary of: Olivier, L. & Haumann, F. A. Southern Ocean freshening stalls deep ocean CO2 release in a changing climate. Nat. Clim. Change https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-025-02446-3 (2025).

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Fresher waters in the Southern Ocean trapped CO2 at depth for decades. Nat. Clim. Chang. 15, 1152–1153 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-025-02465-0

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