US EditionCollapse of Key Atlantic Currents Could Plunge Cities Into Deep Freeze, Study Warns
- A new study released today projects that should the major ocean current transporting warm Atlantic waters northward fail under 2°C of global warming, parts of Europe could experience harsh winter temperatures, with London potentially dropping to-19°C.
- Scientists warn the AMOC, a major ocean current moving warm water north, is weakening due to global warming disrupting heat and salinity balances, though full collapse by 2100 remains uncertain.
- The study shows Europe would experience nearly half the year below zero in cities like Oslo and stormier winters, while summer temperatures remain largely unaffected but with increasing heat waves.
- Researchers found AMOC weakening between 18 and 43 percent by 2100, with London facing over two weeks of subzero days and temperatures 16°C colder than historical lows in the 1800s.
- These findings highlight the urgent need to monitor oceans closely and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as AMOC collapse could cause dramatic climate and societal disruptions across Europe and beyond.
57 Articles
57 Articles
The circulation of the Atlantic Ocean is currently weakening due to climate change. However, it is not clear whether it will collapse in the near future. Scientists have recently come up with model scenarios of what impact the collapse would have on the global climate. Europe, which is most at risk, would experience a major drop in temperatures.
Update in the morning: 7 a.m.: Atlantic current threatens collapse + solar storm hits earth
Collapse of AMOC Could Bring ‘Profound Cooling’ to Northern Europe: Study
The collapse of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) — a system of ocean currents that pulls warm water from the Southern Hemisphere and the tropics to the Northern Hemisphere — could put some parts of the globe in a “deep freeze,” according to a new study by researchers from the Netherlands. The findings suggest that, under an intermediate greenhouse gas emissions scenario, global heating would not be enough to outweigh the c…
New simulations show how much colder European winters would get if AMOC collapses
A pair of meteorologists in the Netherlands has used new simulations to show just how cold many of Europe's cities could get if the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) were to collapse due to global warming. In their study, published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, René van Westen and Michiel Baatsen developed a climate model based on a range of ocean temperature changes that could arise due to global warming.
Scientists issue warning after making troubling discovery in waters off Antarctica: 'Could be more unstable'
A recent discovery by a team of Australian scientists reveals that an ocean current, which acts as a safeguard by protecting Antarctica from warm water that would otherwise melt the region's ice, is at risk of failing. What's happening? Relatively little is known about the Antarctic Slope Current (ASC), but scientists do understand its importance in acting as Antarctica's last line of defense from preventing warm water from invading the region. …
By Laura Paddison, CNN The collapse of a crucial network of Atlantic ocean currents could plunge parts of the world into a deep freeze, with winter temperatures dropping to around -55 degrees Fahrenheit in some cities and bringing “profound climatic and societal impacts,” according to a new study. There are growing concerns about the future of the Atlantic Meridional Circulation (AMC), a system of currents that functions like a giant conveyor be…
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