The ocean influences the rate of climate change by storing and transporting vast amounts of heat and carbon dioxide: more than 93% of the extra heat stored by the planet over the past 50 years is found in the ocean, and about 30% of human emissions of carbon dioxide have been removed and stored by the ocean.

This Position Analysis highlights recent advances in our understanding of Southern Ocean circulation and biochemistry and their influence on the rest of the globe and summarises our present understanding of how the Southern Ocean will change in the future and the potential impacts on Australian and global climate, sea level, and marine ecosystems.