The fate of the Gulf Stream will be decided by a"tug-of-war" between two types of melting from the Greenland Ice Sheet, a new study suggests.
The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation , which includes the Gulf Stream, governs the climate by bringing nutrients, oxygen and heat in tropical waters north and cold water south. The current can exist in two stable states: a stronger, faster one that we rely on today, and another that is much slower and weaker.
By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.This led icebergs to slide into the sea and fresh water to cascade from the shelf, both of which caused the AMOC to weaken dramatically over a few hundred years. But there are key differences between then and now. During the last ice age, the slowdown of the AMOC had started before icebergs started calving. And, despite having more variability than previously thought, the AMOC is currently in a"pretty healthy state" without significant slowdown, Zhou said.