US EditionStudy Projects Atlantic Current System to Weaken 51% by 2100
Researchers say the current could trigger irreversible collapse and add 0.2°C of warming if carbon dioxide stays high.
- 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.
41 Articles
41 Articles
The southern rollover circulation of the Atlantic (Amoc), a set of sea currents crucial for the climate, could slow by around 51% by 2100, a weakening of the order of 60% more than previously estimated, says a study published on Wednesday 15 April in "Science Advances".
The professor highlights that new research shows that a collapse of a vital ocean current is likely – and that the current may weaken faster than previously estimated.
A vital system of Atlantic Ocean currents is weakening and closer to collapse than thought, new studies find
New research provides alarming evidence this ocean circulation is slowing and could be heading toward a shutdown, which would have catastrophic impacts on the planet’s weather and climate.
Collapse of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation would lead to substantial oceanic carbon release and additional global warming
The potential collapse of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation could profoundly impact regional and global climates, yet its effects on the carbon cycle and subsequently global temperature remain seriously underexplored. Here we quantify carbon cycle responses across different background global warming levels using a fast Earth system model. We find that Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation collapse increases atmospheric carbon…
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