Researchers are working to better understand the dynamics of the Southern Ocean, including its circumpolar current, ice shelves, and interactions between the ocean and ice. Studies are examining various aspects of the ocean's behavior, such as the impact of sea-ice regimes on phytoplankton communities and the role of ocean tides in ice loss from polar ice sheets. The use of new approaches, including physics-informed machine learning, is helping to advance knowledge of the Southern Ocean's complex systems.