A new statistical model has predicted that the collapse of Atlantic Ocean currents is likely to occur this century. The results would cause catastrophic temperature drops in the Northern Hemisphere, but other scientists are not so sure.

cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/2047200

A vital ocean current system that helps regulate the Northern Hemisphere’s climate could collapse anytime from 2025 and unleash climate chaos, a controversial new study warns.

The Atlantic Meridional Ocean Current (AMOC), which includes the Gulf Stream, governs the climate by bringing warm, tropical waters north and cold water south.

But researchers now say the AMOC may be veering toward total breakdown between 2025 and 2095, causing temperatures to plummet, ocean ecosystems to collapse and storms to proliferate around the world. However, some scientists have cautioned that the new research comes with some big caveats.

The AMOC can exist in two stable states: a stronger, faster one that we rely upon today, and another that is much slower and weaker. Previous estimates predicted that the current would probably switch to its weaker mode sometime in the next century.

Related: Gulf Stream could be veering toward irreversible collapse, a new analysis warns

But human-caused climate change may push the AMOC to a critical tipping point sooner rather than later, researchers predicted in a new study, published Tuesday (July 25) in the journal Nature Communications.

“The expected tipping point — given that we continue business as usual with greenhouse gas emissions — is much earlier than we expected,” co-author Susanne Ditlevsen, a professor of statistics and stochastic models in biology at the University of Copenhagen, told Live Science.

“It was not a result where we said: ‘Oh, yeah, here we have it’. We were actually bewildered.”

  • 9tr6gyp3@lemmy.worldEnglish
    8·
    1 year ago

    Misleading title. This study is about the AMOC, which is a small part of the Gulf Stream. The Gulf Stream as a whole probably wont ever collapse.

    • GataZapata@kbin.social
      4·
      1 year ago

      Won’t ever? What gives you this security? Hasn’t it already stopped temporarily a few times? I’ve heard the Gulfstream stopping discussed as a possible tipping point several times

      • 9tr6gyp3@lemmy.worldEnglish
        3·
        1 year ago

        I don’t mean anything by this personally, but you kinda proved my point. These models are studying the AMOC specifically. There is no indication that the entire gulf stream is collapsing. That’s why this post being misleading will end up confusing people.

        Don’t get me wrong though, this is still extremely bad.

        The study can be found here. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-39810-w

    • Valsa@mander.xyzEnglish
      1·
      1 year ago

      I think you have it backwards. The AMOC is a system of ocean currents running through the Atlantic from Antarctica to Greenland, and the Gulf stream is a small part of the AMOC.