"Oceanic tunnel" transported CO2 from Antarctica during the last ice age

During the end of the last ice age huge amounts of CO2 which were formerly stored in the deep ocean upwelled in the Southern Ocean and were released to the atmosphere. This was one of the main causes of global warming at that time. However, it is assumed that not all of the stored carbon was released into the atmosphere, but that parts were directly transported northwards by the so-called Antarctic Intermediate and Mode Water into the East Pacific. So far, however, this has not been clearly proven. Using a combination of sediment core analyses and highly developed climate models, an international research team involving the Alfred Wegener Institute has now been able to fill this knowledge gap. This is important to better understand the transport of oceanic CO2 in the present day. The team presents its findings in the scientific journal Nature Communications.