Climate & Environmentarticle2026-09-02

The Ocean: A Key Earth System Regulator with Boundaries

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Abstract

By regulating Earth’s climate and buffering the impacts of anthropogenic pressures, the ocean plays a crucial stabilizing role in the Earth system – yet, in doing so, it is itself undergoing profound changes. This Perspective outlines the role of the ocean in the Earth system and discusses arguments for incorporating additional ocean processes into the Planetary Boundaries framework.

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View paper (DOI)Open access versionOpenAlexNational Science ReviewPublished 2026-09-02

Authors: Sabine Mathesius, Jonas Kaiser, Malin Ödalen, Johan Rockström, Boris Sakschweski, Levke Caesar

Institutions: University of Potsdam, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Stockholm Resilience Centre