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Interesting news — Science XXI
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Currently, the southern waters of the Indian Ocean, located off the western coasts of Australia, are experiencing a significant decrease in salinity, and the main factor contributing to this is climate change. Scientists from the University of Colorado Boulder conducted a study that showed this process has accelerated over the past six decades. The rise in global temperatures has led to changes in winds and ocean currents, which, in turn, has facilitated the influx of large volumes of fresh water into this region.
As reported by Phys.org, such significant changes can disrupt the interaction between the ocean and the atmosphere, affecting global water circulation, which plays a key role in regulating the planet's climate. Professor Weiqing Han noted, "We are observing a large-scale shift in how fresh water moves through the ocean." Typically, the salinity of seawater is about 3.5%, however, in the tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific region, it is generally lower due to frequent precipitation. This area is associated with a massive "conveyor" of currents that redistributes heat and salt around the world, including the Atlantic.
However, over the past 60 years, the situation off the Australian coast has undergone drastic changes. This region, which has traditionally been characterized by high salinity and aridity due to significant evaporation, is now facing a 30% reduction in the area of salty water. This is the fastest desalination recorded in the Southern Hemisphere. Researcher Genshin Chen compared the volume of incoming fresh water to 60% of Lake Tahoe, which would be enough to provide drinking water for the entire population of the United States for over 380 years.
The main factor contributing to this process is global warming, which is altering surface winds over the Indian and tropical Pacific Oceans. These changes cause currents to pull more fresh water from the Indo-Pacific basin southward. As a result, less salty and less dense water accumulates at the surface, hindering the mixing of water layers. This complicates the sinking of surface waters and the rise of deeper waters, negatively affecting the distribution of nutrients and heat.
Such changes can pose serious threats to marine ecosystems and the climate. Previous studies have already indicated that an increase in the flow of fresh water could slow down thermohaline circulation in the Atlantic. Additionally, insufficient mixing deprives plankton and seagrasses of essential nutrients from the depths and retains excess heat at the surface, creating stress for marine organisms. Chen emphasized that changes at the lower levels of the food chain could have far-reaching consequences for the entire biodiversity of the oceans.
