Melting Antarctic ice could slow world's strongest ocean current, study says

The world's strongest ocean current could slow as melting Antarctic ice sheets flood it with fresh water, according to research published on Monday that warned of "severe" climate consequences.

Scientists used one of Australia's most powerful supercomputers to model how melting ice sheets might change the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, which plays a major role in global climate patterns.

If fossil fuel emissions increased over the next 25 years – a so-called high emissions scenario – the current could slow by around 20 percent, the peer-reviewed research found.

"The ocean is extremely complex and finely balanced," said University of Melbourne scientist Bishakhdatta Gayen.

"If this current 'engine' breaks down, there could be severe consequences, including more climate variability – with greater extremes in certain regions, and accelerated global warming due to a reduction in the ocean's capacity to act as a carbon sink."

Satellite observations have shown that Antarctica is losing ice mass at an accelerating rate.