A new study conducted by scientists from the University of East Anglia (UEA), British Antarctic Survey (BAS) and the Max-Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry revealed that

the Southern Ocean around Antarctica is so loaded with carbon dioxide that it can barely absorb any more.  As a consequence more of the gas will stay in the atmosphere to warm up the planet.

"This is the first time that we've been able to say that climate change itself is responsible for the saturation of the Southern Ocean sink. This is serious. All climate models predict that this kind of 'feedback' will continue and intensify during this century. The Earth's carbon sinks – of which the Southern Ocean accounts for 15% – absorb about half of all human carbon emissions. With the Southern Ocean reaching its saturation point more CO2 will stay in our atmosphere.", lead author Dr Corinne Le Quéré of UEA and BAS said. The saturation of the Southern Ocean was revealed by scrutinising observations of atmospheric CO2 from 40 stations around the world.

Also, researchers said that since 1981, the Southern Ocean sink has ceased to increase, while CO2 emissions have increased by 40 percent.

"Since the beginning of the industrial revolution the world's oceans have absorbed about a quarter of the 500 gigatons of carbon emitted into the atmosphere by humans," said Professor Chris Rapley, director of British Antarctic Survey.