The Southern Ocean is a critical component of the global climate system and an important ecoregion that contains a diverse range of interdependent flora and fauna. It also hosts numerous fronts: sharp boundaries between waters with different characteristics. As they strongly influence exchanges between the ocean, atmosphere and cryosphere, fronts are of fundamental importance to the climate system. However, rapid advances in physical oceanography over the past 20 years have challenged previous definitions of fronts and their response to anthropogenic climate change. Here we review the implications of this recent research for the study of climate, ecology and biology in the Southern Ocean. We include a frontal definition ‘user’s guide’ to clarify the current debate and aid in future research.

南大洋是全球气候系统的重要组成部分，也是一个重要的生态区域，其中包含多种相互依存的动植物。它还具有众多前沿：具有不同特征的水域之间的界限很明显。由于它们强烈影响海洋，大气层和冰冻圈之间的交换，因此前沿对气候系统至关重要。但是，过去20年中，物理海洋学的飞速发展挑战了前沿的定义及其对人为气候变化的响应。在这里，我们回顾了这项最新研究对南大洋的气候，生态和生物学研究的意义。我们包括正面定义的“用户指南”，以阐明当前的争论并为将来的研究提供帮助。