Science Visualized Oceans

How deep water surfaces around Antarctica

3-D maps of upwelling could help climate scientists understand heat, carbon absorption

ice shelves in western Antarctic Peninsula

MELT OFF  Off the coast of the western Antarctic Peninsula (shown), upwelling of relatively warm, deep water has been linked to the melting of ice shelves, which help buttress the region’s glaciers.

Jo Crebbin/Shutterstock

By Emily DeMarco

- More than 2 years ago

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There’s no signpost to mark it, but about 3,000 meters underwater off the southeast coast of South America, a stream of deep water from the Atlantic Ocean spills into the Southern Ocean.