The Southern Ocean is a major driver of global climate through its large carbon storage capacity and its impact on atmospheric CO2 concentrations. Changes in ocean circulation, carbon sequestration and deep ocean-atmosphere exchange in the southern, high-latitudes are believed to have strongly influenced past climatic shifts, and are projected to do so in the future. Specifically, the upwelling of warm Circumpolar Deep Water in the Southern Ocean is believed to be a primary mediator of Antarctic Ice Sheet destabilization and is thought to have strongly contributed to the extraordinary sea level highstands during warmer than present climate intervals. Despite their remarkable significance for global climate, element cycles and ocean circulation in vast areas of the Southern Ocean are only poorly studied. To close this gap, a variety of new marine sediment cores from the Southern Ocean recently retrieved on the research drill ship JOIDES Resolution or other research vessels can be used as recorder of past polar climate change. A variety of analyses on microfossils preserved in these sediment cores will help to shed new light on the role of the southern high-latitudes in global climate variability.
