Archive · 6 Nov 2025
Southern Ocean 'Burp' Could Release Trapped Heat, Causing Future Warming
Imagine the ocean is like a giant sponge for heat.
Right now, the Southern Ocean is soaking up a lot of extra heat from climate change and holding it deep down.
Scientists think that, after many, many years, even after humans stop making the planet warmer, this deep ocean heat might 'burp' back up to the surface.
This 'burp' could cause the world to warm up again for a while, like a delayed reaction.
This extra warming would be felt most strongly in places in the Southern Hemisphere.
It's a reminder that what we do now can have effects for a very long time.
The Southern Ocean may release trapped heat into the atmosphere in a process described as a 'burp'.
This 'burp' could occur centuries after humans achieve net-negative emissions and global cooling.
The released heat would cause a significant warming period comparable to historical anthropogenic rates.
The warming effects would be most pronounced and long-lasting in the Southern Hemisphere.
The phenomenon highlights how oceans can store heat, leading to delayed climate impacts even after emission reductions.
- Who
- Researchers studying the Southern Ocean
- What
- Potential for a 'burp' of trapped heat from the Southern Ocean into the atmosphere
- When
- Centuries after net-negative emissions and global cooling
- Where
- Southern Ocean, with greatest impact in the Southern Hemisphere
- Why
- Accumulated heat from past global warming trapped in the deep ocean due to reduced ocean heat release pathways and mixing of warmer surface waters with cooler layers.
- Study Published In
- AGU Advances
- Mechanism
- Deep convection in the Southern Ocean releases accumulated heat to the surface
- Timing of Release
- Several centuries after net-negative emissions and global cooling begin
- Warming Impact
- Decadal- to centennial-scale period, comparable to historical anthropogenic warming rates
- Geographic Impact
- Greatest and longest-lasting in the Southern Hemisphere
- Primary Impact
- Thermal, not chemical