Oceanography and sea ice in the Southern Ocean

• Main Authors: Meredith, Michael P., Brandon, Mark
• Other Authors: Thomas, David N.
• Format: Book Part
• Language: unknown
• Published: John Wiley & Sons 2017
• Subjects: Antarctic; Arctic; Southern Ocean; The Antarctic; Antarc*; Sea ice
• Online Access: https://oro.open.ac.uk/48468/; https://oro.open.ac.uk/48468/1/ch8_Meredith_Brandon.pdf; http://ca.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-1118778383.html; https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118778371.ch8

The Arctic and the Antarctic are situated diametrically opposite each other on the planet, and their polar locations lead to them sharing some obvious similarities in climate and other characteristics. In some respects, however, their differences are more profound, and possibly the most significant of these is that the Arctic is fundamentally an ocean surrounded by land, whereas the Antarctic is a major continental landmass encircled by a vast and isolating ocean (Figure 8.1). This ocean – the Southern Ocean – has a profound influence on regional and global climate, on the glaciation of the Antarctic continent, and on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning.