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Climate and Environment

A critical ocean system may be heading for collapse due to climate change, study finds

‘The consequences of a collapse would likely be far-reaching’

By
August 5, 2021 at 11:01 a.m. EDT
An aerial view of Rhode Island shorelines. A weakening of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation could bring extreme cold to Europe and parts of North America, raise sea levels and disrupt seasonal monsoons. (Salwan Georges/The Washington Post)
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Human-caused warming has led to an “almost complete loss of stability” in the system that drives Atlantic Ocean currents, a new study has found — raising the worrying prospect that this critical aquatic “conveyor belt” could be close to collapse.

In recent years, scientists have warned about a weakening of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), which transports warm, salty water from the tropics to northern Europe and then sends colder water back south along the ocean floor. Researchers who study ancient climate change have also uncovered evidence that the AMOC can turn off abruptly, causing wild temperature swings and other dramatic shifts in global weather systems.