The Gulf Stream in the Atlantic Ocean is actually considered a guarantee of mild weather in Europe, but now the ocean current is in danger of collapsing. In a current study, researchers speak of ‘narrow’ measurement results. This could have fatal consequences for Europe.
Leading climate scientists have long feared that unabated climate change will have a huge impact on the weather situation in Europe. While heat waves pose a particular challenge in the medium term, the exact opposite threatens to happen in the long term.
In concrete terms, the circulation of the Atlantic Ocean is heading toward a tipping point that is “bad news for the climate system and humanity,” the Dutch researchers said in the study in the renowned journal Science Advances.
There is a threat of devastating consequences
Using computer models and past data, researchers developed an early warning indicator for the collapse of a large part of the Gulf Stream, a vast system of ocean currents that is a key component in regulating global climate. The shocking news: the currents are already heading for an abrupt shift not seen in more than 10,000 years – with devastating consequences.
The exact time is still unclear. “But we can at least say that we are on our way to the tipping point of climate change,” says lead author René van Westen, marine researcher at Utrecht University, in the British Guardian.
The Marine’s conveyor belt could come to a stop
The Gulf Stream is a maritime conveyor belt: it transports warm, highly salty water from the tropics to the Arctic Circle, where the water cools and sinks due to its greater density. At depth it flows in a southerly direction. Ocean currents transport heat and nutrients to different parts of the world and play a key role in ensuring that the climate remains relatively mild in large parts of the Northern Hemisphere.
As the poles melt, the water is diluted with cold fresh water and weakens. The result: after the future enormous heat periods, there is a risk of a cold wave. In some parts of Europe, temperatures threaten to drop by as much as 30 degrees Celsius within a century. Within just one or two decades, a completely different climate would emerge: “There are no realistic adaptation measures that can cope with such rapid temperature changes,” the researchers continue to warn.
The world is becoming increasingly inhospitable to living beings
In the Southern Hemisphere, things look completely different. In many regions, warming could increase further; in the Amazon, the rainy and dry seasons could reverse, seriously disrupting the ecosystem. This would immediately lead to the next tipping point where the already weakened rainforest would be definitively threatened.
In addition, there are already known effects, such as the enormous rise in sea levels, extreme weather conditions and enormous temperature fluctuations around the world.
The question now is how long it can actually take before the explosive tipping point occurs. Just last year, Britain’s Mett Office made people sit up with a controversial study, but similar results. This could happen between 2025 and 2095. However, there were strong doubts about the calculations.
“It’s quite scary.”
“That’s where we’re going. “That’s quite scary,” said Van Westen, looking at the data, which on this subject is not only theoretical in nature, but is based on ice-cold measurement results. “We need to take climate change much more seriously,” he warns. How could that be possible? By drastically reducing CO2 emissions – but humanity is far from ready for that.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
