Abstract: The Southern Ocean has the potential to uptake as much as 40% of the global ocean's carbon, but this estimate is uncertain due to the lack of systematic knowledge of anthropogenic CO₂ uptake, distribution, storage, and transportation. This paper summarises research on carbon uptake, storage, and transport in the Southern Ocean, based on domestic and international databases and studies. It explores the carbon source and sink patterns in the open ocean and nearshore areas of the Southern Ocean in terms of CO₂ fluxes at the sea-air interface and the distribution, storage, and transport of anthropogenic CO₂ within the ocean. The paper also examines the reasons for the discrepancy between the current carbon sink model and the measured data in the Southern Ocean, as well as the uncertainty of the estimation of carbon source and sink strengths in the seasonal ice zone. Additionally, it evaluates the advantages and shortcomings of relevant methods for calculating anthropogenic carbon and the main transport mechanisms affecting the anthropogenic carbon inventory. This paper aims to enhance comprehension of sea-air CO₂ fluxes, source-sink variability, and export processes in the Southern Ocean. This will aid in more precise estimations of the carbon sinks in the Southern Ocean and the global ocean.

Key words: anthropogenic CO₂, carbon sink, carbon uptake and distribution, carbon transport and inventory, Southern Ocean