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March 3, 2021
A new study suggests that the Gulf Stream – an Atlantic Ocean current that plays a large role in shaping Earth’s weather patterns – is weaker now than at any point in the last 1,000 years.
The Gulf Stream plays a vital role in redistributing heat throughout our planet’s climate system. This animation shows the Gulf Stream sending warm water to the North Atlantic Ocean, forcing colder water to sink and travel southward. Image via NASA/ Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio/ SciJinks.
The Gulf Stream, the Atlantic ocean current system that plays a vital role in redistributing heat throughout our planet, is the weakest it’s been in at least 1,600 years. That’s according a new study, published February 25, 2021 in the peer-reviewed journal
Scientists warn that if global warming continues unabated, it will weaken further, and could reduce by about 34% to 45% by the end of this century, bringing it closer to a 'tipping point'
AMOC Deterioration
Scientists expect that if global heating persists, the AMOC would eventually degrade and will decrease by around 34% to 45% by the end of this century, which will put it close to a tipping point at which the environment could become irrevocably unstable. A depleted Gulf Stream will also, with potentially catastrophic effects, increase water levels on the US Atlantic coast.
Stefan Rahmstorf, who co-authored the report published in Nature Geoscience on Thursday from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Effect Studies, told the Guardian that a weakening AMOC would increase the number and intensity of storms reaching Britain and carry more heatwaves to Europe.