A vital system of Atlantic Ocean currents is weakening and closer to collapse than thought, new studies find

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🗞️ Driving the news: New scientific studies warn that the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), a crucial system of ocean currents regulating the planet’s climate, is weakening faster than previously estimated, raising concerns it could approach a tipping point this century

🔭 The context: The AMOC acts like a massive ocean “conveyor belt,” moving heat, salt and freshwater around the Atlantic Ocean and helping stabilize global climate patterns
• Two new studies, one using climate models and another analysing real-world ocean measurements, found clear evidence that the system has been weakening over the past two decades
• Scientists say warming temperatures and melting ice from Greenland are disrupting the delicate balance of temperature and salinity that drives the circulation

🌍 Why it matters: If the AMOC were to collapse, the consequences for global climate could be severe
• Scientists warn it could plunge Europe into much colder winters, accelerate sea-level rise along the U.S. East Coast and trigger prolonged droughts in parts of Africa
• Researchers say the weakening observed today suggests current climate models may be underestimating the speed of change, increasing concern that the system could cross a tipping point

💬 One quote: “The worrying part is that the same models are predicting that the AMOC is likely going towards a tipping point where it eventually shuts down.” — Shane Elipot, University of Miami oceanographer

📈 One stat: The latest research suggests the AMOC could slow by more than 50% by the end of the century, a decline about 60% stronger than previous climate model estimates

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