Posted on 08/09/2021 5:42:33 AM PDT by bert
The AMOC, which contains the Gulf Stream, is currently at its weakest state in over 1,000 years, and new evidence has indicated that it could already be nearing complete shutdown.
Climate scientists have detected early warning signs that the Gulf Stream is in a state of collapse, indicating that it may have already been losing stability over the last century, which could lead to severe consequences for the climate, a new study reported.
The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is a major Atlantic ocean current, to which the Gulf Stream belongs, and at the top of the ocean it transports warm water masses from the tropics northward, while cold water is transported south, at the ocean bottom. It influences weather systems worldwide, making the consequences of a potential collapse all the more dangerous. The AMOC is currently at its weakest state in over 1,000 years, meaning the currents have slowed, and new evidence has indicated that it could already be nearing complete shutdown. Such an event is considered one of the tipping points of climate change, which are defined as large, fast, and irreversible changes to the climate.
In the event of the AMOC collapse, rainfall would be disrupted in India, South America and West Africa, which would cause mass food shortages. Increasing storms and colder temperatures would be felt across Europe, and the sea level would rise off the eastern coast of North America. The Amazon rainforest and Antarctic ice sheets would be further endangered.
However, due to the complex nature of the AMOC, and the uncertainty of future global warming caused by tipping points, there is no way of knowing how close to total collapse the system is. Scientists say it could happen within the next decade at soonest, but that several centuries could still pass before it does, and that there is no way to accurately estimate the time-frame. "We urgently need to reconcile our models with the presented observational evidence to assess how far from or how close to its critical threshold the AMOC really is," said author of the study, Niklas Boers from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Freie Universität Berlin and Exeter University. Boers explained that the C02 level which would trigger an AMOC collapse is also unknown, which means that the only possible thing to do in order to prevent it from happening is to keep emissions as low as possible.
"The likelihood of this extremely high-impact event happening increases with every gram of C02 we put into the atmosphere," he stated.
A number of factors besides C02 emissions also factor into the breakdown of the AMOC system, including freshwater inflow, which is also directly linked to climate change. As the Greenland ice sheet melts, it increases the amount of freshwater flowing into the sea. Freshwater is lighter than saltwater which means it prevents water from sinking to the bottom of the ocean, a process which is key to the continued movement of the AMOC.
While the timeframe and exact trigger for the event are unknown, scientists are certain about one thing - that the collapse of the AMOC must never be allowed to happen.
How many of these were spotted over Martha’s Vineyard this weekend, shuttling various climate warming celebrities to and fro?
Yeah. I saw “The Day after Tomorrow” night before last.
If the AMOC does collapse get ready for a lot of European immigrants due to the new ice age descending on their previous homes.
Whatever the Gulfstream has done or will do we are along for the ride…enjoy…but wait, we could levy a whopping GS tax and save everything…c’mon man…
Really? Remarkable. Show me the Gulf Stream temperature/current records from the year 1020. For you lib lurkers out there who slept through history class, that's almost 500 years before Columbus sailed across the Atlantic ocean to the north American Continent. So unless the native Americans were venturing out into the ocean and keeping records... What they are referring to is a guess.
Climate scientists have detected...
...another way to grovel for grant money. Seriously, any time you hear "climate scientist" you can bet your average used car salesman or ambulance-chaser lawyer has more integrity. Climate scientist has become synonymous with charlatan, that kind of ilk.
...a new study reported.
Without a shred of credibility? Anyone can generate "a study." That doesn't mean it is worth the paper it is printed on, or the power driving the pixels displaying it.
I'll skip over the wild speculation on various dire potential consequences...
However, due to the complex nature of the AMOC, and the uncertainty of future global warming caused by tipping points, there is no way of knowing how close to total collapse the system is. Scientists say it could happen within the next decade at soonest, but that several centuries could still pass before it does...
And there you have it, the weasel words at the end. A means to save face and some shred of professional reputation should your sensational, fact-free claims fail to come true. "Well gee, we told you it was a hard problem and we might not be right!"
Worthless drivel.
Excellent analysis, FRiend.
Algore’s Roman ancestor, Bore-us Maximus.
Where is the Goebbels picture?
I remember reading a SI-FI novel, sixty years go, whose title I have forgotten, about a master criminal who was planning to blow up underwater cliffs that divert the Gulf Stream away from the Arctic.
This would cause warm water to enter the Arctic and melt the glaciers and ice flooding a large part of the world.
so melting the ice caps is nothing new.
And, no one listens to the real scientists who study long-term climate conditions (that include a thousand years of tree rings that show drought is normal in California).
This is not real science. Only the government can say what is real science and what is not.
Better say climate change is real otherwise you'll have your career and reputation destroyed.
In the bright side, Europe and North America won’t have to worry about Global Warming anymore.
The Gulf Stream is shutting down? Yeah, I remember that from the movie “The Day After Tomorrow”. Shitty movie with a dumb premise.
“the collapse of the AMOC must never be allowed to happen”
What stupid, arrogant fools.
But the movie was based on an Art Bell - Whitley Strieber book which was much better than the movie, and if you are into catastrophism created a plausible scenario for just this event.
When we lived in the city my wife would turn on her Hair Hurricane 3000 and the Street Lights would dim……..
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