The large-scale circulation of the ocean is primarily driven by density differences. As dense, heavy water sinks, it fills the deep ocean basins and aids in pushing water around the globe, cycling around the world over many centuries. A key location where this happens is around Antarctica. The ice and cold winds cool the water, making it denser. This cooled water sinks, displacing the deep water and pushing it northwards. As Antarctica warms, this water carries the extra heat into the rest of the world, causing the deep ocean to rapidly warm. In the Southwest Pacific Basin, we find that this bottom intensified warming has caused a significant reduction in the stratification of the deepest layer over the past three decades. This change can disrupt the global ocean conveyor belt, impacting the transport of heat, carbon dioxide, nutrients, and other dissolved matter around the world.

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