The Gulf Stream, also known as the Thermohaline Circulation, carries hot water from the tropics to Europe, where salinity and density decrease due to evaporation. But this system it's going to slow down as a consequence of global warming, according to a new study conducted by the University of Sussex, the National Autonomous University of Mexico, and the University of California.
Does this mean that there will be a new ice age in Europe? Actually, according to the researchers, rather the opposite will happen.
As the global average temperature rises, the poles are melting. In doing so, they go to the sea, flooding them with fresh and very cold water. You might think that, in the event that they melt completely, the Thermohaline Circulation would stop, but thanks to this research, we can breathe easy.
According to the authors of the study, if the Gulf Stream slows down, what will happen in the Old Continent is that global warming is not going to be felt "as much" or as fast as elsewhere. But this does not mean that temperatures will stop rising, but rather that they will do so at a slower pace. Of course, if global warming slows down a bit in Europe, it will go faster elsewhere.
Developing countries will be those that, according to the study, will heat up the fastest and those that will suffer the worst. So, unfortunately, there will also be a division between rich and poor on these issues. Still, we are all human, and we can all take care of the planet. Otherwise, no matter how much the Gulf Stream slows down, no matter how many measures are taken against global warming, We will all end up suffering its terrible consequences, all of us.
As always, if you want to read the report, you can do click here (It is in English).