University of Southampton Part of International Research Programme on Southern Ocean Climate Impacts

University of Southampton Part of International Research Programme on Southern Ocean Climate Impacts

(IN BRIEF) The University of Southampton is joining SYNCHRONY, a major €8.5 million EU-funded research project involving 27 institutions worldwide. The four-year project aims to establish a coordinated observation system across the Southern Ocean and Antarctic coastal regions, where sea ice decline, West Antarctic ice loss and weakening deep-water formation are raising major scientific concerns. Southampton researchers, including Regius Professor Alberto Naveira Garabato and Dr Alessandro Silvano, will use satellite technology and in situ observations to improve understanding of ocean circulation and sea ice changes. The project is coordinated by Germany’s Alfred Wegener Institute and is intended to improve climate models, support international cooperation and provide evidence for long-term protection of the Antarctic region.

(PRESS RELEASE) SOUTHAMPTON, 5-Aug-2026 — /EuropaWire/ — The University of Southampton is participating in a major international research project designed to transform scientific understanding of the rapidly changing Southern Ocean and the coastal seas around Antarctica.

The project, called SYNCHRONY, brings together 27 research institutions from around the world and is supported by €8.5 million in European Union funding.

Over four years, the initiative will establish an internationally coordinated and synchronised observation system across the Southern Ocean and Antarctic coastal regions.

The Southern Ocean and the Antarctic shelf seas have undergone major changes in recent years.

Scientists have observed a dramatic decline in sea ice cover, significant loss across large parts of the West Antarctic ice sheet, and signs that deep-water formation is weakening.

Despite these developments, researchers are still unable to reliably predict what will happen next or determine the full consequences for the wider planet.

SYNCHRONY aims to address this gap by improving the way scientists observe, measure and model changes in the coupled ocean, ice, atmosphere and biosphere system around Antarctica.

The Southampton team includes Regius Professor Alberto Naveira Garabato and Dr Alessandro Silvano.

They will use advanced satellite technology together with in situ observations to reconstruct changes in ocean circulation and sea ice more accurately.

Dr Silvano said the Southern Ocean is one of the most difficult regions on Earth to observe and is changing faster than many scientists had expected.

He said the SYNCHRONY programme will help researchers better capture changes across different parts of the Southern Ocean and over time by combining expertise and sustained measurements from the international scientific community.

He added that the work will support improved climate models and help scientists better understand how Earth’s climate may evolve in the coming decades.

The British partners in the project also include the British Antarctic Survey, the National Oceanography Centre and the University of Edinburgh.

The project is being coordinated by the Alfred Wegener Institute, or AWI, in Germany.

Professor Dr Alexander Haumann, principal investigator at AWI, said the full implications of abrupt changes in the Southern Ocean for local and global climate systems and ecosystems remain unclear.

He said scientists are currently unable to predict these changes with sufficient confidence.

According to Professor Haumann, this knowledge gap is largely the result of insufficient observational data and the inaccurate or missing representation of key processes in Earth system models.

He said urgent action and stronger international cooperation are needed to better observe and understand changes in the interconnected ocean, ice, atmosphere and biosphere system.

He added that improved knowledge will also provide a stronger basis for political decision-making aimed at protecting the region over the long term.

SYNCHRONY forms part of a wider global effort to improve understanding of polar and ocean systems.

Related initiatives over the coming years include Antarctica InSync, the 5th International Polar Year 2032/2033 and implementation of the European Ocean Pact.

Through the SYNCHRONY project, the University of Southampton and its international partners are working to close critical knowledge gaps in Southern Ocean science and improve the evidence base needed for climate modelling, environmental protection and long-term decision-making.

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SOURCE: University of Southampton