A study earlier this week shows the Gulf Stream is slowing down. This possibility is something I first read in 2003 that made me wish I didn’t read Earth science articles. The Gulf Stream and related wind and water currents are why northern Europe has a moderate climate. Put simply, the Gulf Stream pumps warm water from the tropics northward, reducing the chill that might otherwise take over the north. If you add too much freshwater, such as from melting glaciers, to the oceans, the Gulf Stream can shut down. 

Other factors are at play as well, all manmade. One of the side-effects of the problem is increased sea-level rise along the U.S. east coast. Miami has already seen a six-inch rise. This study was led by Levke Caesar and appears in Nature Geoscience.

More Information

PIK press release

“Current Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation weakest in last millennium,” L. Caesar et al., 2021 February 25, Nature Geoscience