According to researchers from ETH Zurich and the University
of Miami, some of the largest ocean eddies on Earth are mathematically equivalent
to the mysterious black holes of space. These eddies are so tightly shielded by
circular water paths that nothing caught up in them escapes.
The mild winters experienced in Northern Europe are thanks
to the Gulf Stream, which makes up part of those ocean currents spanning the
globe that impact on the climate. However, our climate is also influenced by
huge eddies of over 150 kilometres in diameter that rotate and drift across the
ocean. Their number is reportedly on the rise in the Southern Ocean, increasing
the northward transport of warm and salty water. Intriguingly, this could
moderate the negative impact of melting sea ice in a warming climate.