There are many effects of climate change on oceans. One of the most important is an increase in ocean temperatures. More frequent marine heatwaves are linked to this. The rising temperature contribute
Waves on an ocean coast
Global sea ice extent, which combines the sea ice extents in both polar regions, reached a new all-time minimum in February 2025.
Month-by-month chart shows how minimum ice volume usually occurs in September, and maxima usually occurring in April.
Bleached Staghorn coral in the Great Barrier Reef.
Southern Ocean overturning circulation is the southern half of a global thermohaline circulation, which connects different water basins across the global ocean. Its better-known northern counterpart i
A schematic overview of the Southern Ocean overturning circulation. The arrows point in the direction of the water movement. The lower cell of the circulation is depicted by the upwelling arrows south of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) and the formation of Antarctic Bottom Water beneath the sea ice of Antarctica due to buoyancy loss. The upper cell is depicted by the upwelling arrows north of the ACC and the formation of lighter Antarctic Intermediate water due to buoyancy gain north of the ACC.
3D representation of North Atlantic Deep Water upwelling in the Southern Ocean basin, which closes the connection between the Atlantic and Southern circulation, and takes place along the defined pathways with limited mixing.
The role of seasonal meltwater from the Antarctic ice sheet in driving the lower-cell circulation.