Atlantic 'cold blob' linked to weakening ocean current system nearing a tipping point, study finds
Researchers found the cooling tracks reduced ocean heat transport, and the study says surface heat loss has not increased.
- A study published in Geophysical Research Letters in May links the North Atlantic 'cold blob' to a weakening Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation , suggesting this major ocean system is slowing.
- Known as the 'cold blob' or 'warming hole,' this area of unusually cold water southeast of Greenland remains out of step with global trends, likely due to reduced heat transport from a weakening ocean conveyor.
- Freshwater from melting Greenland ice reduces water density, hindering the sinking process that keeps the AMOC moving, which the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change notes influences North Atlantic weather patterns.
- Researchers estimate that AMOC weakening accounts for 20 to 50 percent of the increase in flood days along the United States Northeast coast since 2005, with rising sea levels as a major concern.
- While the new study does not suggest an imminent AMOC collapse, researchers view the 'cold blob' as a significant indicator of potential instability, as continued decline in Atlantic heat transport could disrupt future agricultural cycles.
44 Articles
44 Articles
A mysterious ‘cold blob’ in the ocean has puzzled scientists. A new study says it’s an ominous sign
In the North Atlantic Ocean, south of Greenland and Iceland, a swath of water is doing something very strange. While the rest of the ocean heats up; it’s been getting colder. A team of scientists say they have the answer to this mystery
NASA has focused on the so-called “cold stain” that is located in the North Atlantic region, south-east of Greenland. Oceanographer Stefan Rahmstorf and his team from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research have published a study explaining that cooling this part of the planet has nothing to do with what scientists have always thought. It has everything to do with AMOC, which is the Southern Atlantic Return Movement.
Scientists warn of a possible tipping point that would lead to widespread and irreversible changes.
The Gulf Stream suddenly moved north during an ancient cold snap – and it’s a warning for our future
The Gulf Stream shifts warm water across the Atlantic to Europe. NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio, CC BY-SAAround 13,000 years ago, as the world was emerging from the grip of the last ice age, much of the North Atlantic region plunged back into near-glacial conditions. Sea ice expanded across the North Atlantic, reaching as far south as the Shetland Islands. Glaciers began to regrow in the Scottish Highlands, whil…
Mysterious 'cold blob' in the Atlantic is a sign of the Gulf Stream weakening — and that's bad news for the US East Coast
The Atlantic's enigmatic "cold blob" has once again been linked to a weakening of key ocean currents and a devastating climate tipping point.
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