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Study Projects Atlantic Current System to Weaken 51% by 2100
- New research published in Science Advances indicates the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation is significantly more likely to collapse than previously understood, with the system closer to a tipping point than experts realized.
- Rapidly rising Arctic air temperatures slow ocean cooling, reducing water density and inhibiting the Amoc's ability to sink, creating a feedback loop where accumulating rainfall further slows the circulation.
- Stefan Rahmstorf of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research noted projections indicate a 42 to 58 percent slowdown by 2100, describing the finding as 'very concerning' because pessimistic models now accurately reflect observational data.
- A complete shutdown would shift tropical rainfall belts, plunge Europe into extreme cold winters and summer droughts, and add 50-100cm to sea levels around the Atlantic, threatening millions in Africa and the Americas.
- Experts suggest the Amoc could reach a shutdown tipping point within decades, with Rahmstorf expressing increasing worry the inevitable point may arrive by the middle of this century, a timeline he considers 'quite close.
81 Articles
81 Articles
The AMOC is a fundamental part of the global climate system, and its potential collapse will have destructive consequences for Europe, Africa, and the Americas.
'Nations need to prepare now': Key Atlantic ocean current is much closer to collapse than scientists thought
An alarming study claims the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation is weakening more than than believed previously. But experts say its findings are far from the final word.
According to the study, stronger current in the North Sea can be an indication of the AMOC attenuation – and thus of a more unstable climate system.
The Atlantic circulation breaks in more than expected – scientists warn of far-reaching consequences.
Atlantic circulation AMOC loses much more power than previously assumed. Scientists warn of dramatic consequences.
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