With a new study linking the North Atlantic's 'cold blob' to a weakening AMOC, how alarmed should the public be about a potential current collapse by 2050?
Scientists link 'cold blob' to ominous AMOC tipping point
A new study reported by CNN links the North Atlantic ΓÇ£cold blobΓÇ¥ ΓÇö a patch of ocean south of Greenland and Iceland that has cooled by nearly 1 degree Celsius since 1900 while much of the ocean warms ΓÇö to a weakening Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, or AMOC. The AMOC acts like a vast ocean conveyor belt, moving warm tropical water north, where it cools, sinks and flows south again. Researchers concluded the cold blob is a signal of AMOC weakening, rather than mainly the result of surface heat loss from winds or clouds, after combining real-world ocean heat data from instruments and satellites with climate models. The article says human-driven global warming is melting ice and adding freshwater to the ocean, disrupting the AMOCΓÇÖs balance of heat and salinity. Some scientists warn the system could reach a tipping point as early as this century, locking in a future collapse. CNN describes an AMOC shutdown as a global catastrophe, with accelerated sea level rise on the US East Coast, a deep winter freeze in Europe and shifted African monsoons causing prolonged droughts.
Options
- It warrants immediate global policy action
- It is serious but overblown by media
- Not yet a priority for current governments
- We need more time to verify the data