Patcay.com – The West Wind Drift, also known as the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC), is currently experiencing unprecedented peak strength, coinciding with the rising global temperatures.
The ACC is the largest ocean current on the planet, circulating clockwise when viewed from the South Pole, encircling Antarctica from west to east. Its strength is equivalent to all the river currents flowing on the Earth’s surface.
The history of ACC’s strength has been recorded since 5.3 million years ago. The ACC plays a crucial role in maintaining global temperatures to remain stable.
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However, the strength of the ACC also impacts the strength of winds blowing stronger. In fact, wind speeds at the South Pole have increased by up to 40%.
Although the Antarctic Circumpolar Current is tasked with keeping the Earth’s temperature cool, its extraordinary strength generates excess energy. Consequently, the water currents caused by these strong winds can affect the ice at the southernmost tip of Antarctica.
“If you leave a piece of ice in the air, it will take longer to melt,” stated Dr. Gisela Winckler, a researcher, in her official statement.
“However, if you place the ice in warm water, the melting process will occur more rapidly,” she added.
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Researchers are attempting to investigate whether this increased wind speed is influenced by global warming caused by human activities. To answer this question, several research teams from various countries are tracing the history of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current through sediment cores trapped on the seabed.
Collecting these sediment cores is a challenging task due to the challenging underwater terrain. However, researchers have managed to gather several samples.
From the analysis, it is known that when the ACC moves slowly, small particles dominate the sediment. However, their size increases as the current intensifies.
For millions of years, the ACC has become stronger as global temperatures become cooler. However, in the last 800,000 years, the ACC has actually become stronger as Earth’s temperatures rise.