The waters surrounding Antarctica have stayed at roughly the same temperatures while the seas in other parts of the world have been slowly warming.

Science has a new solution to the question of why these southern waters may be one of the last places to be affected by climate change.

Research from the University of Washington and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology shows that currents around Antarctica continually pull deep, centuries-old water to the surface.

Image: Antarctica 2013: Journey to the Crystal Desert | Image Credit: Christopher Michel