Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
It links the three major ocean basins together through the Antarctic Circumpolar
Current, the largest ocean current on Earth, forming a global oceanic system.
It plays a dominant role in the global ocean overturning circulation by upwelling
water masses from the deep and afterwards sinking back into intermediate depths
and to the bottom,
bottom layers. The overturning
circulation affects storage of heat and gases, with oxygen and carbon dioxide
solubility acting as a buffer for atmospheric changes whilst the biogeochemical
conditions such as oxygen content and acidity directly in
filling the global oceans
'
uence the living
conditions for many organisms, in particular in the deep ocean. Interrelation
between physical and biochemical processes, as well as potential feedback loops
such as the dependence of carbon dioxide uptake on storminess, present particular
scienti
c challenges. The wide range of variability for many measurements in both
space and time makes it dif
cult to detect anthropogenic change clearly and to
distinguish it from natural variability. Therefore the greatest care is needed in
interpreting model predictions for the future, especially for warming and
acidi
cation scenarios.
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