Is the North Atlantic Current Collapsing?

The North Atlantic Current is an important ocean current that circulates ocean water and is therefore responsible for ocean circulation. Paleoclimatic data show that the current can have two distinct states. The prevailing strong mode at present is weakening. Niklas Boers the author of the study says, “This bi-stability suggests that abrupt changes between these two flow modes are possible in principle.”

But what does this mean for future climate?

Since many previous climate models did not account for this, it is difficult to make accurate predictions. Clearly, a weakened status would have a strong impact on the climate worldwide. Thus, other multi-stable climate systems such as the monsoon, the Antarctic ice sheet or the rainforest could be affected.

The full article can be found at this link.

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