A critical system of ocean currents could collapse much sooner than expected as a result of the deepening climate emergency, according to the findings of a new study, potentially wreaking havoc across the globe.
The AMOC acts like a conveyor belt of currents carrying warm waters from north to south and back in a long and relatively slow cycle within the Atlantic Ocean.
The circulation also carries nutrients necessary to sustain ocean life.
For one, the NOAA says England would have a "much colder climate" if not for the warm waters of the Gulf Stream.
The projected collapse of the AMOC is seen as a "major concern" because it is recognized as one of the most important tipping elements in the Earth's climate system.
Organizations:
Nature Communications, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, NOAA
Locations:
Europe, Florida, England