Atlantic circulation weakest for over 1500 years

Leading simulation models that predict the future climate on Earth could be overestimating the stability of one of the most important ocean circulation patterns, a new study has shown. An international team, including researchers from Cardiff University, have taken the first comprehensive measurements of the strength of North Atlantic Ocean circulation, showing that it is at its weakest for over 1500 years. This ocean circulation pattern, which acts as a conveyer belt to bring warm water to the UK, has been significantly weakening over the past 150 years, the scientists say, which correlates with the end of the Little Ice Age in 1850 AD and the onset of the industrial revolution. During this time, glaciers have melted and an influx of freshwater has entered into the oceans, causing a significant disturbance to ocean currents and potentially having a dramatic impact on climates across Northern America and Western Europe. The North Atlantic Ocean circulation, otherwise known as the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), is responsible for transporting warm water, and with it maintaining mild climate conditions in Western Europe and regulating oceanographic patterns important for marine life. The AMOC is crucial to the world's climate, and an abrupt slowdown could trigger various disruptions globally. These include a sudden rise in regional sea levels, changes in major rainfall patterns and the position of arid climate zones and the potential of freezing winters across Western Europe.