An essential Atlantic Ocean current that regulates the planet's climate is weakening much faster than previously thought, according to a new study.
The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), which includes the Gulf Stream, stabilizes climates in the Northern Hemisphere and beyond.
But a new climate model that factors in freshwater melt from Greenland's ice sheet has suggested that, at the current rate of global carbon dioxide emissions, the current could weaken by as much as one-third in the next 15 years. The researchers published their findings Nov. 18 in the journal Nature Geoscience.
The AMOC acts as a planetary conveyor belt, bringing nutrients, oxygen and heat north from tropical waters while moving colder water south — a balancing act that keeps both sides of the Atlantic 9 degrees Fahrenheit (5 degrees Celsius) warmer than it would otherwise be....<<<Read More>>>....
