Scientists from the University of Copenhagen are now warning that the Atlantic Ocean current known as the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) could be in danger of collapsing within just a few years’ time. This would be the most catastrophic result of climate change that the world has seen, for many reasons. And in other bad news for the environment, all manner of trash was recently found at the bottom of Belize’s iconic Great Blue Hole.
The scientists published their findings in Nature Communications. The consequences of a weakened AMOC are numerous, and very scary. It would cause changes in Europe’s climate, like cooler winters and wetter summers in Europe. This could have a negative impact on agriculture and other industries. It would also changes in marine life by disrupting the marine ecosystem, leading to changes in fish populations and other marine life.
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Sea levels would rise even more than they already are due to climate change. And the ocean would not be able to absorb as much heat. A weakened AMOC could also lead to more extreme weather events, such as hurricanes and droughts.
AMOC is a large system of ocean currents that circulates water within the Atlantic Ocean, bringing warm water north and cold water south. It is part of the global thermohaline circulation (THC), which is the large-scale ocean circulation driven by changes in the saltiness and ocean temperature.
The AMOC is driven by the difference in density between warm, salty surface water in the tropics and cold, fresh deep water in the subpolar North Atlantic. The warm, salty water in the tropics is less dense than the cold, fresh water in the subpolar North Atlantic because it has a higher salinity. This difference in density causes the warm, salty water to sink in the subpolar North Atlantic, and the cold, fresh water to rise in the tropics.
The sinking of warm, salty water in the subpolar North Atlantic drives the AMOC. This sinking water then flows southward along the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, eventually reaching the Southern Ocean. In the Southern Ocean, the water warms and freshens, and then rises to the surface. The rising water then flows northward along the surface of the Atlantic Ocean, completing the AMOC cycle.
The AMOC plays an important role in regulating the Earth’s climate. It helps to distribute heat from the tropics to the subpolar North Atlantic, which helps to moderate the climate in Europe. The AMOC also helps to transport nutrients from the surface to the deep ocean, which supports marine life.
The AMOC is currently thought to be weakening. This weakening is likely due to a combination of factors, including climate change, freshwater input from melting glaciers, and changes in the salinity of the ocean. The weakening of the AMOC could have a number of negative consequences, including more extreme weather events in Europe, changes in the marine ecosystem, and sea level rise.
More research is needed to understand the full implications of the weakening of the AMOC. However, it is clear that the AMOC is an important part of the Earth’s climate system, and its weakening could have a significant impact on the planet.
As for the Great Blue Hole, billionaire Richard Branson recently funded an expedition to the bottom of the 1043 foot deep attraction. Unfortunately, the explorers found lots of garbage, including a coke bottle.
Erika Bergman, who was one of the people in the expedition, said, “We found conchs and conch shells and hermit crabs that had fallen into the hole and suffocated.”
“We found the resting place of a couple folks, and we very respectfully let the Belize government know where we found them. Everyone decided that we would just not attempt any recovery. It’s very dark and peaceful down there, just kind of let them stay,” Bergman added.
Climate change is getting worse. Now people are saying global warming should be renamed “global boiling.”
