After more than a century acting as a climate buffer, the Southern Ocean may be preparing to release a vast store of heat, sending global temperatures rising again, even after humanity curbs emissions ...

Under current warming, the ocean stores heat as deep waters mix with warmer layers above. At the same time, the loss of reflective sea ice allows more solar radiation to penetrate and be absorbed.

For over a century, the Southern Ocean has absorbed vast amounts of carbon and heat, delaying global warming. However, new research warns that once emissions fall, this ocean could release its stored ...