The ocean's currents are shifting. Why?
The Earth's atmosphere and its oceans constantly affect one another; it's a feedback loop that influences wind and weather patterns, ocean currents, and more. But what happens when the atmosphere starts to warm? Teekay Merah/Getty Images hide caption
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Teekay Merah/Getty Images
The Earth's atmosphere and its oceans constantly affect one another; it's a feedback loop that influences wind and weather patterns, ocean currents, and more. But what happens when the atmosphere starts to warm?
Teekay Merah/Getty Images
A warming climate doesn't just affect dry land — it affects the ocean, too.
For many years, Earth's ocean has acted as a heat sink for climate change: A large part of the heat generated by human use of fossil fuels is being absorbed by the ocean. And while the deep sea is largely unaffected by this heat absorption, the upper ocean — the ~200 meters closest to the surface — is significantly affected.
Based on a number of models, scientists predict that in a warming climate, the majority of surface currents across the globe will significantly accelerate. Some of them, like the Atlantic Circumpolar Current around Antarctica, are already shifting. That has the potential to cause huge knock-on effects, including sea level rise, changing fish migration cycles, shifting storm patterns and more.
This is the first episode of Sea Camp, Short Wave's summer series exploring the intriguing and otherworldly depths of the ocean. Follow us every Monday through August as we travel from the sunlit zone to the sea floor.
Interested in more stories about the ocean? Email us your question at shortwave@npr.org.
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This episode was produced by Hannah Chinn and Rachel Carlson. It was edited by Rebecca Ramirez and fact-checked by Tyler Jones. Jimmy Keeley was the audio engineer.
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