Scientists lament Southern Ocean ‘data desert’, just as climate crisis brings frightening changes

Antarctica is undergoing dramatic changes, including rapid loss of sea ice. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

A chronic shortage of observations of the vast ocean surrounding Antarctica is hindering more accurate forecasts of the consequences of the climate crisis, a meeting of 300 scientists has concluded.

The Southern Ocean has an outsized influence on the Earth’s climate, absorbing masses of the extra heat and carbon dioxide caused by human activities.