March 2, 2020 — Enormous, swirling gyres compose some of the world’s biggest and most important ocean currents. Found in the North and South Pacific, the North and South Atlantic, and the Indian Ocean, these massive, rotating currents help transport heat and nutrients around the globe.
Now, new research suggests, they seem to be on the move.
A recent study, conducted by scientists from the Alfred Wegener Institute in Germany and the Ocean University of China, finds major ocean gyres are steadily creeping toward the poles. Since the 1980s, they’ve been migrating by about a half mile each year.
It’s already causing noticeable consequences, the researchers suggest.
For one thing, ocean gyres tend to alter the sea levels around them. Scientists have already observed a distinct band of higher-than-average sea levels in the midlatitudes, including along much of the U.S. East Coast—a phenomenon some experts have chalked up to regional warming patterns and related changes in the structure of the ocean. But the new study suggests the movement of ocean gyres may also be playing a role.
Gyres also help control the flow of heat and nutrients through the ocean. As they move, they can alter ocean ecosystems, affect certain fisheries and influence weather patterns. The study suggests the movement of gyres may already be linked to recent observed changes in the movement of hurricanes and the behavior of major atmospheric currents, like the jet streams.