Human-induced changes increasing amount of natural carbon released

The international team, led by Cardiff University researchers, showed how southern migration of the westerly winds and the Antarctic circumpolar current towards the pole during periods of past global warming increased the amount of natural carbon released to the atmosphere by the Antarctic Ocean. Picture: Ian Hall/Cardiff University/PA

Human-induced climate change is causing shifts in the world’s largest ocean current and westerly wind systems also seen during periods of ice age and warmer intervals in Earth’s history, researchers claim.

Their study highlighted the role of the Antarctic circumpolar current in regulating dynamics in the Antarctic Ocean and global climate patterns over the past 1.5m years.