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Oceanography

The Atlantic heat conveyor slows

Nature volume 438, pages 565–566 (2005)Cite this article

Computer simulations predict that global warming will weaken the ocean circulation that transports heat from the tropics to higher latitudes in the North Atlantic. Such an effect has now been detected.

The Sun heats the tropics much more than the polar regions, but the resulting extremes of temperature are moderated by compensating heat circulation in the atmosphere and the ocean. Most notably, warm upper waters intrude far into the northern North Atlantic and contribute to the mild European climate. As Bryden et al. report on page 655 of this issue1, that circulation has weakened over the past 50 years, providing worrying support for computer models that predict just such an effect in a world made warmer by greenhouse-gas emissions.

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Figure 1: The North Atlantic heat conveyor.

References

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  1. the Zentrum für Meeres- und Klimaforschung, Institut für Meereskunde, Universität Hamburg, Bundesstrasse 53, Hamburg, D-20146, Germany

    Detlef Quadfasel

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  1. Detlef Quadfasel
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Quadfasel, D. The Atlantic heat conveyor slows. Nature 438, 565–566 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/438565a

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