Ocean Rivers Slowing in the Great River Ocean

[SorellaLaBefana]

"River Ocean" taken in the original sense of ōkeanos—that great river surrounding the disk of the Earth—as distinct from mediterraneus: The sea in the middle of the Earth.

Our understanding of the world has progressed far beyond that of The Ancients—as concurrently has our ability to actually destroy that world.

The deep ocean circulation that forms around Antarctica could be headed for collapse...

...decline of this ocean circulation will stagnate the bottom of the oceans and generate further impacts affecting climate and marine ecosystems for centuries to come...

Cold water that sinks near Antarctica drives the deepest flow of the overturning circulation -- a network of currents that spans the world's oceans. The overturning carries heat, carbon, oxygen and nutrients around the globe. This influences climate, sea level and the productivity of marine ecosystems.

"Our modelling shows that if global carbon emissions continue at the current rate, then the Antarctic overturning will slow by more than 40 per cent in the next 30 years -- and on a trajectory that looks headed towards collapse..."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/03/230330102327.htm

The original paper Abyssal ocean overturning slowdown and warming driven by Antarctic meltwater (sadly paywalled) is at:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-05762-w

The Science Daily article goes on to discuss how this slowed circulation and subsequent decrease in the overturn of ocean layers will lead to a loss of the current return of nutrient rich deep waters to the surface.

Surprisingly, the article elides mention of the obvious conclusion: Loss of this circulation might well result in the collapse of the entire marine ecosystem.