16 Mar 2017
Why the Southern
Ocean Matters for Climate
Dr. Irina Marinov
The Southern Ocean, the vast and
largely unexplored ocean surrounding Antarctica, takes up most of the
human-produced greenhouse heat and a large percentage of the carbon dioxide we
put into the atmosphere. The Southern Ocean is critically important for our
planet’s climate on both long and short time scales.
Dr. Marinov will discuss briefly the basic mechanisms of Southern Ocean circulation and biology, its role in past (paleo) climate changes, expected changes in the Southern Ocean’s circulation and physics under a warming climate, and the repercussions for the rest of the planet.