Beneath the surface of the Southern Ocean, vast volumes of cold, dense water plunge off the Antarctic continental shelf, cascading down underwater cliffs to the ocean floor thousands of meters below. These hidden waterfalls are a key part of the global ocean’s overturning circulation—a vast conveyor belt of currents that moves heat, carbon, and nutrients around the world, helping to regulate Earth’s climate.
Tiny dips in sea level reveal flow of climate-regulating underwater waterfalls
