Deep concerns as climate impacts on Gulf Stream flow
Ocean scientists find evidence of an increasing slowdown in the Atlantic’s “invisible river” that could seriously affect weather and sea levels in the US and Europe.
LONDON, 25 March, 2015 − Climate scientists have once again confirmed an alarmingslowdown in the circulation of the Atlantic Ocean − the process that drives the current that warms Europe, and powers the planetary climate.
And this time, they are prepared to say that the changes are recent − and may be linked to global warming.
The Atlantic Conveyor is a great invisible river that flows in two directions at the same time. The equatorial surface waters − warm, and therefore less dense − flow towards the north in the form of the Gulf Stream. Around Greenland, the denser and colder Arctic waters sink to the ocean bottom and begin their progress towards the south.
It is the difference in temperatures that maintains the turnover and keeps the climate engine going.
As a consequence, the two-way traffic of warm and cold water redistributes heat around the planet and keeps Britain and maritime Europe in relatively mild conditions.
But as global average temperatures rise, and the Greenland ice sheet melts, ocean scientists have warned that the speed of the ocean turnover could be put at risk.
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