Blind spots

Climate models still struggle to keep up with rapid changes in the polar regions

- By AKSHIT SANGOMLA

NOT ALL models are perfect. This is particularly true for those trying to simulate climate scenarios for the polar regions, where accessing reliable and exhaustive data is difficult due to remote locations, harsh weather conditions and the dynamics of sea ice. Recent studies show that this chronic lack of data and imperfect climate models could be masking the unexpected ways in which global warming is altering the polar regions that modulate the global climate system.

One critical region where climate models are falling short is the Southern Ocean, which encircles Antarctica. Across its large expanse of uninterrupted water, winds pick up speed and waves gather energy. Scientists estimate that the Southern Ocean experiences the strongest winds and largest waves on Earth, which facilitate the exchange of heat and gas, including carbon dioxide (CO₂), between the air and sea. As a result, it has the capacity to store and release more heat than anywhere else on Earth. Southern Ocean is also home to the largest current in the world ocean, whose depth and breadth result in a massive transport of water, circulating heat, oxygen, CO₂ and nutrients from the tropics around Antarctica. Scientists at University of Melbourne in Australia have dubbed the Southern Ocean as the “engine room” for the planet’s climate and weather systems, and say that any changes here can send a ripple through the globe.