A new review in Nature Communications argues that tiny ocean swirls, or small scale turbulence, move heat and carbon through the deep sea far faster than climate models currently account for. These motions, ranging from room sized to smaller than a coin, can shift carbon within a single year and affect how much CO2 the Southern Ocean absorbs. The review says current models use a fixed background value for this mixing, missing the real bursts that happen near seamounts and canyon slopes. Researchers found that turbulence near the seafloor can lift water at roughly 330 feet per day, about 10,000 times faster than the old textbook average. In the Southern Ocean, adjusting the modeled mixing range changed the annual carbon intake by about 70 percent. The authors argue that closing this gap with better sensors and updated formulas could sharpen forecasts of how long the ocean will store heat and carbon. That matters for carbon budgets and climate projections used in policy.
