The Atlantic Current, a huge oceanic "conveyor belt" that carries warm water from the tropics to the North Atlantic, is slowing down and on the verge of collapse, which will change temperatures in Europe. Scientists have been warning about this for years. Recent research has not only confirmed the loss of energy in this current, but also predicts a sudden stop in the not too distant future. The lockdown will have repercussions across Europe, causing a prolonged drought and plunging much of the continent into a perpetually cold winter. Scientists talk about gulf stream collapse as a negative consequence for the global environment.
Therefore, we are going to dedicate this article to tell you everything you need to know about the collapse of the Gulf Stream.
Atlantic Current
An atmospheric physicist from the Complutense University of Madrid said: “Once this happens, the movement of warm tropical waters towards the North Atlantic region will cease, they will become cooler waters and will have an impact on the region's climate. According to the study, published in the journal Nature, the behavior of this water "conveyor belt" - known as the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation -AMOC- has given enough signs that it is on the verge of an "imminent collapse".
The thermohaline circulation (THC) is one of the most important components of ocean circulation on a global scale. Basically, it is one of the determinants of the global climate due to its important participation in the global net heat flux. The AMOC, located within this conveyor belt, regulates the temperature in the South Atlantic. “Thanks to it, Madrid has a warmer climate than New York, even though they are at a similar latitude”, points out the atmospheric physicist.
Its operation is characterized by a current of warm and salty water that crosses the upper Atlantic Ocean, while another current transports colder and deeper waters towards the south, which will then form part of the thermohaline circulation.
However, the engine that drives this Atlantic current has run out of steam over the last decade, and climate change itself is thought to be the cause. “It is not clear, but many theories point to the melting of Greenland as the main reason for this slowdown,” said González, because it is the ice in the colder parts of Europe that allows the Atlantic currents to work.
This is in line with the increased density of surface waters caused by deepening climate change, bringing the system one step closer to total collapse.
Study on the collapse of the Gulf Stream
The study did not specify when the phenomenon could occur, but it does not rule out that it will happen in the coming decades, possibly even before the end of the century. "This would have catastrophic effects on Europe and the world as a whole," as it would suddenly "completely alter the climate," the researchers concluded.
In fact, this particular situation is considered a "tipping point of the climate system," meaning that once it occurs, the region's climate will never be the same again.
Consequences of the collapse of the Gulf Stream
The list compiled by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) contains nine climate tipping points that are seriously affected or at serious risk of disappearing. The nine elements are the Arctic sea ice, the Greenland ice sheet, the boreal forest, permafrost, the Atlantic current system, the Amazon rainforest, warm-water corals, and the Southern Ocean ice sheets in West Antarctica and East Asia. All of these tipping points are interconnected, so what affects one person affects another.
"This situation may be worse than warming, as its effects are felt gradually, but nevertheless this is a fundamental change that will still have unintended effects," he insists. Potential impacts include reduced rainfall, denser snow cover in more parts of Europe, agricultural problems or a higher probability of events such as stronger cyclones.
What happens, as González Alemán warns, is that although these effects seem to go against climate change and to a certain extent balance it, this is probably not the case.
"In some places it can balance the two phenomena, in others it can reduce the effects of climate change and in others it can enhance the effects of climate change," insist the researchers, who stress that the only consequence of such a collapse is that the future is “much more complicated”. "We don't know all the effects it could have, and it could have unpredictable events," she said.
Direct effect on the Atlantic
Research shows that we are approaching a critical threshold beyond which the circulatory system can collapse. This work shows that several factors increase the direct effect of warming of the Atlantic on its circulation.
These include freshwater inflows from melting Greenland ice sheets, melting sea ice, increased precipitation and river water. Fresh water reduces the tendency for North Atlantic water to sink deeper from the surface, one of the drivers of turbulence.
The Atlantic Meridional Circulation is an important ocean current that regulates Earth's climate because it carries warm water from the surface at high latitudes, warms the air, sinks, and returns to the equator. For example, it is responsible for Spain, which enjoys a much milder climate compared to the rest of the planet at our same latitude.
If the Arctic warms, Europe will cool because when a lot of cold and less salty water gets into the Atlantic, it cuts off the flow of warm water from Central America to Europe, which will cause global temperatures to drop in Western Europe, so the temperature will move to a level similar to that recorded in North America at the same latitude.
I hope that with this information you can learn more about the effects of the collapse of the Gulf Stream.