Recent news headlines suggest the Gulf Stream current could shut down in just a few years-or perhaps a few decades-bringing about a catastrophic change in global climate. Will the Gulf Stream actually shut down? No, say oceanographers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
Why do headlines say otherwise? It’s due to an oversimplification of the currents that drive global climate. People conflate the Gulf Stream with a more complex system of currents known as the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, or AMOC.
„The Gulf Stream plays a role in the AMOC, but it is also distinct from the AMOC,“ explains WHOI physical oceanographer Robert Todd. It’s one arm of a multi-tiered system that circulates water horizontally and vertically throughout the Atlantic Ocean.
The Gulf Stream flows along the east coast of North America, carrying warm water from the Florida Straits to the Grand Banks off Newfoundland. From there it continues as the North Atlantic Current across the ocean toward Europe. These currents carry heat from the tropics to higher latitudes and are responsible for temperate climates across much of Europe…
Source: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution | Ocean Learning Hub (2023)
