New research suggests that a crucial system of Atlantic Ocean currents could collapse as soon as the 2030s.

 

World news-

Scientists warn in a new study that a crucial system of Atlantic Ocean currents, which impacts global weather patterns, might collapse as early as the late 2030s. This potential planetary-scale disaster could drastically alter weather and climate conditions.

Recent studies have indicated that the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) may be heading towards collapse. This system is being weakened by rising ocean temperatures and changes in salinity driven by human-induced climate change

The new research, which is currently undergoing peer review and has not yet been published, employs a cutting-edge model to predict the potential collapse of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). The study estimates that such a collapse could occur between 2037 and 2064, with a likelihood of happening by 2050.

René van Westen, a marine and atmospheric researcher at the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands and a co-author of the study, expressed concern: 

“This is deeply troubling,” van Westen told us. “The adverse effects of human-induced climate change, such as increased heatwaves, droughts, and flooding, will continue. If an AMOC collapse occurs on top of that, the climate could become even more unstable.”.

 

The AMOC functions like a conveyor belt, transporting warm surface water from the southern hemisphere and the tropics to the colder North Atlantic. There, the water cools and becomes saltier, causing it to sink and flow southward. This process helps prevent excessive heat in the Southern Hemisphere and extreme cold in the Northern Hemisphere, while also distributing nutrients that support marine life. 

The effects of an AMOC collapse would make parts of the world almost unrecognizable.

In the years following a collapse, Arctic ice would advance southward, eventually reaching the southern coast of England within a century. Europe’s average temperature would drop significantly, and North America, including parts of the US, would experience a similar cooling. The Amazon rainforest would see a complete reversal of its seasons, with the current dry season becoming rainy and vice versa.

Stefan Rahmstorf, a physical oceanographer at Potsdam University in Germany who was not involved in the study, warned, “An AMOC collapse is a serious threat that we must do everything possible to prevent.”

To reach their conclusions, the Utrecht scientists employed advanced models and identified a key area in the South Atlantic Ocean to monitor for changes in circulation, using observational data. They analyzed temperatures and salinity in this region to refine previous predictions on when the AMOC might reach its tipping point.