Broadening Ocean Current Could Carry Less Heat Poleward With Climate Change

Joseph Lilek (jlilek@americangeosciences.org)

What would happen if an ocean current were pushed off course - and why might that occur? The Agulhas Current, which flows southwest along the eastern coast of Africa, presents an opportunity to test these questions. Although the conventional understanding suggests that currents would intensify along their existing paths, a recent study in Nature suggests that stronger surface winds are causing the Agulhas’ path to broaden and meander, and to become more chaotic. In the March issue of EARTH Magazine, the effects of this broadening are addressed, including implications for the Arctic and the tropics, as well as for ocean productivity and nutrient flow. Get the full story in EARTH: https://www.earthmagazine.org/article/broadening-ocean-current-could-carry-less-heat-poleward-climate-change.

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