High-latitude Southern Ocean eddy activity projected to evolve with anthropogenic climate change
Abstract Ocean eddy activity in the high-latitude Southern Ocean is linked to critical drivers of the global climate, yet it is missing from effectively all projections of climate change due to computational costs. Using a high-resolution ocean model and cost-reducing simulation design, eddy activit...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-03-01
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| Series: | Communications Earth & Environment |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02221-4 |
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| author | Nathan Beech Thomas Rackow Tido Semmler Thomas Jung |
| author_facet | Nathan Beech Thomas Rackow Tido Semmler Thomas Jung |
| author_sort | Nathan Beech |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Ocean eddy activity in the high-latitude Southern Ocean is linked to critical drivers of the global climate, yet it is missing from effectively all projections of climate change due to computational costs. Using a high-resolution ocean model and cost-reducing simulation design, eddy activity in the high southern latitudes is revealed in detail, including three-dimensional spatial distribution and characteristics, unobstructed information beneath sea ice, and projections of future conditions after prolonged anthropogenic warming. The detected eddy activity is closely linked to large-scale circulation features like gyres and the Antarctic Slope Current. Eddy activity exhibits a strong seasonal cycle in which the presence of sea ice decreases the eddy population and increases the proportion of anticyclones. Anthropogenic warming is projected to shift eddy activity from the Antarctic Circumpolar Current poleward, intensify eddy activity along the Antarctic Slope Current, and reduce the seasonal cycle affecting eddy population and rotational direction. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-1bb3703dd3824335a7b60e35cc1730ef |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2662-4435 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Communications Earth & Environment |
| spelling | doaj-art-1bb3703dd3824335a7b60e35cc1730ef2025-08-20T02:49:01ZengNature PortfolioCommunications Earth & Environment2662-44352025-03-016111310.1038/s43247-025-02221-4High-latitude Southern Ocean eddy activity projected to evolve with anthropogenic climate changeNathan Beech0Thomas Rackow1Tido Semmler2Thomas Jung3Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz center for polar and marine researchEuropean Center for Medium-range Weather ForecastsMet Éireann, the Irish Meteorological ServiceAlfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz center for polar and marine researchAbstract Ocean eddy activity in the high-latitude Southern Ocean is linked to critical drivers of the global climate, yet it is missing from effectively all projections of climate change due to computational costs. Using a high-resolution ocean model and cost-reducing simulation design, eddy activity in the high southern latitudes is revealed in detail, including three-dimensional spatial distribution and characteristics, unobstructed information beneath sea ice, and projections of future conditions after prolonged anthropogenic warming. The detected eddy activity is closely linked to large-scale circulation features like gyres and the Antarctic Slope Current. Eddy activity exhibits a strong seasonal cycle in which the presence of sea ice decreases the eddy population and increases the proportion of anticyclones. Anthropogenic warming is projected to shift eddy activity from the Antarctic Circumpolar Current poleward, intensify eddy activity along the Antarctic Slope Current, and reduce the seasonal cycle affecting eddy population and rotational direction.https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02221-4 |
| spellingShingle | Nathan Beech Thomas Rackow Tido Semmler Thomas Jung High-latitude Southern Ocean eddy activity projected to evolve with anthropogenic climate change Communications Earth & Environment |
| title | High-latitude Southern Ocean eddy activity projected to evolve with anthropogenic climate change |
| title_full | High-latitude Southern Ocean eddy activity projected to evolve with anthropogenic climate change |
| title_fullStr | High-latitude Southern Ocean eddy activity projected to evolve with anthropogenic climate change |
| title_full_unstemmed | High-latitude Southern Ocean eddy activity projected to evolve with anthropogenic climate change |
| title_short | High-latitude Southern Ocean eddy activity projected to evolve with anthropogenic climate change |
| title_sort | high latitude southern ocean eddy activity projected to evolve with anthropogenic climate change |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02221-4 |
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