Freshwater from melting Antarctic glaciers may be influencing the Southern Ocean in ways scientists have largely overlooked. New research, published in Frontiers in Marine Science, has found that glacial meltwater is not confined to the ocean’s surface, as previously assumed, but can also be detected much deeper in coastal waters along the Western Antarctic Peninsula.

The findings suggest that meltwater from glaciers is being transported and stored tens of meters below the surface, where it could alter ocean circulation, affect the movement of heat and nutrients, and influence how the region responds to climate change.