(ORDO NEWS) — The Gulf Stream is currently the weakest in 1,000 years. Scientists believe that the reason for this is anthropogenic global warming of the planet. IFLScience writes about it.
The Gulf Stream is part of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOS), which is considered one of the main climatic turning points of the planet. And now researchers warn that the current is inexorably slowing down.
In one of the studies, scientists tried to determine how the AMOS flow has changed over the centuries. Data on sedimentation, temperature and records of coral populations were used for this study.
According to the study, published in the journal Nature Geoscience, indirect indicators suggest that the AMOS went into an “unprecedented decline” in the 20th century, which accelerated significantly in the 1960s, then recovered slightly in the 1990s and declined again in the mid-2000s.
“There is evidence that the AMOC is slowing in response to anthropogenic global warming, as predicted by climate models. And now, in fact, the AMOC is at its weakest in more than 1,000 years,” the team wrote in their paper.
In the new study, scientists focused on studying what would happen if the Gulf Stream, and the AMOS in particular, stopped altogether.
AMOS by its very nature supplies warm water to NW Europe, so if it stops, Europe will become much colder. Previous climate models predict that this will be a “tipping point” and could occur between 2030 and 2050.
If AMOS eventually collapses, temperatures across the UK will drop by an average of 3.4°C, with Scotland experiencing the coldest temperatures.
The researchers believe that a complete shutdown of the AMOS would also cause sea levels to rise rapidly along the east coast of North America and water shortages in the Amazon rainforest. In addition, it will also affect the Asian monsoons.
The researchers noted that until this issue is resolved, any simulated changes in AMOS as a result of freshwater action should be treated with caution.
—
Online:
Contact us: [email protected]
Our Standards, Terms of Use: Standard Terms And Conditions.