Loss of sea ice and rising temperatures in the ocean around Antarctica have a huge effect on the Earth’s climate, but the ability to track them is lagging
A chronic shortage of observations of the vast ocean surroundingis hindering more accurate forecasts of the consequences of the climate crisis, a meeting of 300 scientists has concluded.
Some 300 scientists from 25 countries ended a week-long conference in Hobart on Friday organised by the Southern Ocean Observing System – a major international science initiative working to co-ordinate and improve observations around Antarctica.A concluding conference statement said the Southern Ocean was undergoing “critical changes” seen in record low levels of sea-ice, record high temperatures and “dramatic” shifts in penguin populations.
“We were completely unprepared for this and it was entirely unexpected, and that’s due to a deficit in our observing system,” said Dr Andrew Meijers, an oceanographer at the British Antarctic Survey.
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