AMOC: Is global warming tipping key Atlantic ocean currents towards ‘collapse’?

<p>The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is a vast system of ocean currents that helps to distribute heat around the world.</p>

<p>By transporting warm water from the tropics northwards and cold water back southwards, the AMOC keeps Europe warm and plays a role in controlling global rainfall.</p>

<p>It connects into an even larger network of ocean currents that continuously moves water, nutrients and carbon around the world.</p>

<p>Now, the AMOC is under threat from human-caused climate change, as warming seas, melting ice and increased rainfall upset the temperature and salt balance of the North Atlantic.</p>

<p>Scientists have warned that the ocean currents are slowing down – and could eventually become so frail that they no longer transport heat around the globe.&nbsp;</p>

<p>A growing body of research has suggested that, with enough warming, the AMOC could reach a “tipping point” and transition to a weak state for many centuries.</p>

<p>The <a href="https://www.carbonbrief.org/carbon-briefs-definitive-guide-to-the-entire-ipcc-sixth-assessment-cycle/">Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change</a> (IPCC) has projected that the AMOC will decline over the course of the 21st century as the world warms.&nbsp;</p>

<p>However, whether – and when – currents might “collapse” remains a subject of debate.</p>

<p>The IPCC says a “collapse” before 2100 is unlikely.&nbsp;</p>

<p>However, <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DbQS45jbFHZoZzBrEVXMd8yJFt-k06Vc_Hm2aA7MKdQ/edit?tab=t.0#bookmark=id.9dix44kml1y">some scientists</a> have argued climate change could force the AMOC past a “point of no return” over the coming decades that could usher it towards a “shutdown” next century.</p>

<p>A major slowdown or “tipping” of the AMOC could have grave consequences for European temperatures, causing them to plunge – despite global warming.</p>

<p>It could also affect global food supply, sea level rise and global rainfall patterns, or even act as a catalyst that sets off a series of other catastrophic climate “tipping points”.</p>

<p>Below, Carbon Brief explains what the AMOC is and how it is being impacted by climate change.</p>

<p>The article also explores scientific debates around the future of the AMOC, including what the latest research says about the possibility and consequences of a collapse of the ocean currents.</p>

<p>To read the full article, click here: <a href="https://interactive.carbonbrief.org/amoc-explainer/index.html" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">https://interactive.carbonbrief.org/amoc-explainer/index.html</a>&#8220;</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.carbonbrief.org/amoc-is-global-warming-tipping-key-atlantic-ocean-currents-towards-collapse/">AMOC: Is global warming tipping key Atlantic ocean currents towards ‘collapse’?</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.carbonbrief.org">Carbon Brief</a>.</p>