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CNRS

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Caption

Basic diagram of ocean's vertical structure: the surface layer is churned by winds and absorbs atmospheric heat, which has increased due to climate change. If the ocean is to check climate change, this heat must be transmitted to its depths, far from the atmosphere. But the ocean has been stabilizing over the last 50 years, and the barrier between its surface and deeper waters is increasingly difficult to penetrate. Meanwhile, stronger winds have thickened the surface layer.

Credit

Jean-Baptiste Sallée, LOCEAN (CNRS / MNHN / IRD / Sorbonne University)

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