Antarctic Circumpolar Current: A Climate Sentinel Sounds the Alarm
Full article
Antarctic Circumpolar Current: A Climate Sentinel Sounds the Alarm
Full articleAntarctica
Antarctica is Earth’s southernmost continent, centered on the South Pole and largely covered by a thick ice sheet containing most of the planet’s freshwater. It is the coldest, driest, and windiest continent, with ecosystems adapted to extreme conditions, including penguins, seals, and cold-adapted marine organisms. Despite its remoteness, human activity affects Antarctica through pollution, ozone depletion, and climate change. Melting of the potentially unstable West Antarctic ice sheet contributes to uncertainty in century-scale sea level projections and influences Southern Ocean circulation, with consequences for climate and ocean productivity in the Southern Hemisphere. Human presence is primarily limited to research stations under international agreements such as the Antarctic Treaty System.
