International Journal of Marine Science, 2024, Vol.14, No.2, 51-56 http://www.aquapublisher.com/index.php/ijms 54 Figure 4 ACC development since the pliocene Figure 5 with three idealized cross-sectional diagrams, vividly displays the million-year trends of ACC strength and their driving forces during three different geological periods: the Early Pliocene, the Late Pliocene, and the Early Pleistocene (about 1.5 million years ago). Each diagram depicts a north-south transect from Antarctica across the Pacific. Figure 5a shows the weaker Southern Westerly Winds (SWW) and Antarctic ice sheet (AIS) during the Early Pliocene, as well as smaller ocean temperature gradients. Figure 5b shows that during the Late Pliocene, the strengthening of the SWW and the increase in ocean temperature gradients led to an intensification of the ACC. Figure 5c shows that after the Early Pleistocene, following the reconfiguration of the Southern Ocean and the growth of the Northern Hemisphere ice sheets (iNHG), the ACC strength was affected by changes in several oceanic and atmospheric processes, such as the strengthening of the SWW, changes in ocean temperature gradients, and the intensity of the East Asian Monsoon (EASM). These pattern changes indicate complex interactions between ACC strength and the Antarctic ice sheet.
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