Fossil Cold-Water Coral <i>Desmophyllum dianthus</i> (IMAGE)
Caption
An international team of scientists led by the University of Oldenburg, Germany, used measurements on fossil skeletons of the cold-water coral Desmophyllum dianthus to reveal that significant changes in deep-water circulation occurred in the Drake Passage, a narrow strait between Antarctica and South America, around six to seven thousand years ago. The scientists see indications that these changes also influenced CO2 levels in the atmosphere - and suggest that future climate change could lead to increased release of CO2 from the deep waters of the Southern Ocean into the atmosphere.
Credit
Andrew Margolin
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