Human-induced changes to the global ocean water masses and their time of emergence

Nature Climate Change, Published online: 17 August 2020; doi:10.1038/s41558-020-0878-x

Climate models predict that by 2020, 20–55% of the three key ocean basins express an anthropogenic fingerprint of change. The well-ventilated Southern Ocean water masses are particularly sensitive, emerging as early as the 1980–1990s, consistent with observations of change over the past 30 years.