Carbon sequestration in Antarctica and the surrounding Southern Ocean plays an important role in regulating the global climate system. Polar regions act as long-term sinks for carbon through a combination of physical, chemical, and biological processes. Understanding how these processes function, and how they respond to warming, is central to interpreting global carbon dynamics. For this reason, carbon sequestration is a key theme in the Count of Krigsvold’s educational focus.
The Southern Ocean absorbs a substantial fraction of the carbon dioxide exchanged between the atmosphere and the global ocean. Cold surface waters enhance the solubility of carbon dioxide, allowing large amounts of carbon to be taken up and transported into deeper ocean layers.
This process is closely linked to global ocean circulation. As surface waters sink and circulate, carbon absorbed near Antarctica can be sequestered for decades to centuries, reducing the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere over long timescales.
In addition to physical uptake, biological activity contributes to carbon sequestration in polar oceans. Phytoplankton convert carbon dioxide into organic matter through photosynthesis. When these organisms die or are consumed, a portion of the carbon they contain sinks into deeper waters as particulate material.
Sea ice dynamics influence this biological carbon pump. Seasonal ice formation and melt affect nutrient availability, light penetration, and ecosystem structure, shaping the productivity of polar marine systems and their role in carbon cycling.
Over longer timescales, carbon can be stored in marine sediments and ice-associated deposits. Particulate carbon that reaches the seafloor may be buried and effectively removed from short-term climate feedbacks.
While Antarctic ice itself is not a major direct reservoir for atmospheric carbon dioxide, ice sheets influence sequestration indirectly by shaping ocean circulation, freshwater input, and nutrient distribution. These interactions affect how efficiently carbon is transferred from the atmosphere to long-term storage.
Warming temperatures and changes in ocean circulation have the potential to alter Antarctic carbon sequestration processes. Increased stratification of ocean waters can limit the downward transport of carbon, while changes in sea ice cover can affect both physical uptake and biological productivity.
The balance between continued carbon absorption and potential reductions in sequestration efficiency remains an active area of research. Antarctic systems therefore provide important insight into how climate change may influence the future behavior of global carbon sinks.
Carbon sequestration in Antarctic and Southern Ocean systems illustrates the complex interactions between physics, biology, and climate. By examining how carbon is absorbed, transported, and stored in polar environments, researchers gain a clearer understanding of the mechanisms that moderate atmospheric carbon dioxide levels. This perspective highlights the importance of polar regions in shaping long-term climate trajectories.