The large,cold,windy and icy circumpolar southern ocean plays an important role in global carbon cycle and climate change.This has been suggested for interpreting glacial-interglacial cycles.Scenarii for the future often highlight large changes,strong feedbacks and potential vulnerabilities of the oceanic carbon pumps in high latitudes.Back to present,we have to admit that our knowledge of the contemporary air-sea CO2 fluxes in the Southern Ocean,south of the Polar Front around 50°S,also needs to be improved in order to better understand oceanic processes and external forcings that control the carbon sink and ultimately to validate theoretical views and interpretations of both past and future climate changes.