Southern Ocean warming could lead to wetter Pacific coasts for centuries to come

Voice of the Sea Ice: Changing times

If sea ice has entered a new regime, what does that mean for Antarctica, and for us?

Southern Ocean warming will mean a wetter West Coast, US

As global temperatures warm, the Southern Ocean -- between Antarctica and other continents -- will eventually release heat absorbed from the atmosphere, leading to projected long-term increases in precipitation over East Asia and the Western U.S., regardless of climate mitigation efforts.

Southern Ocean warming could lead to wetter Pacific coasts for centuries to come

People along the densely populated Pacific coasts are exposed to strongly fluctuating rainfall patterns: In East Asia, heavy rain falls in summer, and flooding is already one of the climate risks in this region today. The western U.S., on the other hand, is often hit by extreme drought in summer, and the question of how much precipitation the winter will bring is fundamental to appropriate preventive measures.

Environmental News Network - Southern Ocean Warming Leads to Wetter East Asia, Western US

As global temperatures warm, the Southern Ocean – between Antarctica and other continents – will eventually release heat absorbed from the atmosphere, leading to projected long-term increases in precipitation over East Asia and the Western U.S., regardless of climate mitigation efforts.

Increased future ocean heat uptake constrained by Antarctic sea ice extent

The ocean takes up over 90% of the excess heat stored in the Earth system as a result of anthropogenic climate change, which has led to sea level rise and an intensification of marine extreme events. However, despite their importance for informing climate policy, future ocean heat uptake (OHU)...

Not only in the Arctic, but also in Antarctica, the temperatures of the ocean are rising and the sea ice is dwindling. However, the effects of this warming have so far been little researched. A study now indicates that the warming of Antarctica has an important influence on the global precipitation patterns. On the one hand, this could counteract some consequences of Arctic warming, [...]