Warning of 'super whirlpool' in Antarctica affecting the fate of humanity

This "super whirlpool" in Antarctica has the ability to affect the fate of humanity, according to the latest scientific research just published.

Research shows that Antarctica appears to be in big trouble. A giant ocean vortex surrounding the continent appears to be speeding up and becoming more dangerous recently.

The "super whirlpool" in Antarctica is the strongest on the planet

The swirling volume of this ocean vortex is 100 times larger than that of all the world's rivers combined . What could have caused this spiral? It may be due to climate change, scientists say.

The vortex volume of the Antarctic ocean vortex is 100 times larger than all the world's rivers combined - (Photo: Ladbible.)

This conclusion comes from a new study that compares and analyzes the activity of the Antarctic ocean vortex over the past 5.3 million years. The study used sediment cores taken from the most remote and roughest bodies of water on Earth for analysis.

This ocean vortex also known as the Antarctic Current (ACC ) slows down during colder periods, for example during any ice age. Now it's starting to accelerate as the weather gets warmer, like the one we're currently living in, due to global warming.

According to scientists at Columbia University (USA), the scientific community is concerned that the increasing speed of the vortex is contributing to global sea level rise, while Antarctic ice continues to melt.

Dr Gisela Winckler, of the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory in Columbia, co-author of the new study, stated: "This is the strongest and fastest current on the planet, believed to be most important part of the Earth's climate system".

She added that these new findings mathematically link Antarctic ice to the flow speed of the Antarctic current.

Global warming is the cause

Dr. Winckler called the new findings "a scenario" that "today we are observing global warming" through unusual developments on Earth, from the nearest regions to the most remote regions. the most remote areas.

Due to westerly winds, the Antarctic current rotates clockwise around Antarctica at an average speed of 4km/h, carrying about 169 million cubic meters of water every second. This stream of water reaches deep to the bottom of the ocean and stretches 2,000km horizontally.

It is also believed that this vortex appeared when Antarctica separated from Australia 34 million years ago, when the Earth's tectonic plates shifted a lot. But the current activity trend of the vortex only started about 12-14 million years ago.

Another study involving 40 scientists from 12 countries was published in the journal Nature . Some of them boarded a drilling ship to take sediment samples from the ocean floor.

At one point, the ship and crew faced waves more than 18 meters high, but they were eventually able to take sediment samples. From there, scientists used X-ray techniques to analyze the changing sizes of the particles inside.

Smaller particles settle more when ocean currents operate more slowly. Larger particles have enough weight to fall to the ocean floor when the Antarctic current increases. The study revealed several periods of Antarctic current changes in speed consistent with dramatic changes in Earth's overall climate as we know it.

This new data was compared with previous studies conducted on the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, further demonstrating that periods of rapid flow of the Antarctic Current coincide with shrinking Antarctic ice sheets. .

Dr Frank Lamy, from the Alfred Wegener Institute in Germany, and lead author of the study, explains: "This reduction in ice volume may be due to increased southward heat transport. Antarctic Current "More activity means more deep, warm water reaching the edge of Antarctica's ice shelf."