Study suggests AMOC on track to collapse from climate change
A new study suggests the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), the ocean system that helps balance Earth's climate, might already be on track to collapse because of climate change.
Using simulations based on Greenland ice melt, researchers found there's a 10% chance of irreversible collapse even if emissions had already peaked in 2025, and up to an 80% chance by 2100 if emissions stay high.
AMOC weakening risks flooding and cooling
The AMOC moves heat from the tropics up toward Europe and the Arctic, so if it fails, we could see rising sea levels along the US East Coast and northern Europe suddenly getting much colder (up to 27 degrees Fahrenheit drops).
This would also mean more extreme weather everywhere.
Experts agree AMOC is weakening; as oceanographer Stefan Rahmstorf puts it, these findings are "plausible."
The article notes that this shows why cutting emissions now is crucial.