The southern supplier

摘要

Physical processes in the Southern Ocean largely control nutrient distribution in the global marine environment, a finding that further highlights the influence of this oceanic region on Earth's climate. To understand how climate change comes about,and what the future may hold, we need to untangle the linkages between ocean circulation and the productivity of phytoplankton. Productivity depends on nutrient availability in the ocean and, as phytoplankton are leading players in the global carbon cycle, they partly determine levels of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide in the ocean and atmosphere.