Scientists report a record decline in the speed of the Gulf Stream
German scientists conducted a study and found that the Gulf Stream and other components of the “current conveyor” in the North Atlantic have reached their minimum activity in a thousand years. The work of climatologists is described in an article published in the journal Nature Geoscience.
As noted, the experts analyzed the data of previous studies and the results of excavations carried out earlier off the coast of Greenland, Iceland, Canada and Germany. For example, the proportions of nitrogen, carbon and oxygen isotopes were measured in different layers, which helped to find out at what temperature and salinity of water the deposits formed.
Calculations showed that the Gulf Stream and other currents in the North Atlantic have been weakening for more than 150 years, but since 1960 this process has significantly accelerated. According to climatologists, this is due to an anthropogenic factor. If this trend continues in the coming years, the Earth's climate will radically change. As a result, Europe and North America will experience harsher winters, rise in sea levels off the coast of the United States, and drop precipitation during the warmer months.
“If global warming continues, then the Gulf Stream system will weaken another 34 to 45% by the end of the century, which could cause a complete stop of the“ conveyor of currents, ”- said one of the authors of the study from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Research, Stefan Ramstorff.
Earlier, climatologist Alexei Kokorin explained why the winter in Russia this year was cold.
