Warming substantially amplifies Antarctic coastal polynyas as key carbon sinks

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume 122, Number 51, December 2025.
ImportanceAntarctica’s coastal polynyas, small areas of open water within sea ice, are revealed in this study to be unexpectedly powerful carbon sinks. Although they cover only about 3% of the Southern Ocean, they bury 42% of its organic carbon, making it…