Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation Archives - State of the Planet

How Close Are We to Climate Tipping Points?

Will overshooting 1.5°C of warming push us over climate tipping points, triggering irreversible and abrupt changes?

by |November 11, 2021
map of gulf stream temperatures

How Will Climate Change Impact the Gulf Stream?

Evidence suggests that this major ocean current, which influences the weather in parts of Europe and the U.S., is already changing.

by |January 2, 2020

Carbon Lurking in Deep Ocean Threw Ancient Climate Switch, Say Researchers

A million years ago, a longtime pattern of alternating glaciations and warm periods dramatically changed, when ice ages suddenly became longer and more intense. Scientists have long suspected that this was connected to the slowdown of a key Atlantic Ocean current system that today once again is slowing. A new study of sediments from the Atlantic bottom directly links this slowdown with a massive buildup of carbon dragged from the air into the abyss.

by |April 8, 2019
map of AMOC circulation pattern

Changes in Ocean ‘Conveyor Belt’ Foretold Abrupt Climate Changes by Four Centuries

Led by Lamont-Doherty researchers, a new study is the first to measure the time lags between changing ocean currents and major climate shifts.

by |March 20, 2019
amoc diagram

Sluggish Ocean Currents Caused European Heat Wave Some 12,000 Years Ago

New study suggests we may be underestimating the chances of extreme heat and droughts in Europe under climate change.

by |April 24, 2018

Could Climate Change Shut Down the Gulf Stream?

In the 2004 disaster movie “The Day After Tomorrow,”, global warming accelerated the melting of polar ice, disrupting circulation in the North Atlantic Ocean and triggering violent changes in the weather. Could climate change shut down the Gulf Stream?

by |June 6, 2017

Researchers Model Differences in East Coast Sea Level Rise

For years, scientists have been warning of a so-called “hot spot” of accelerated sea-level rise along the northeastern U.S. coast. But accurately modeling this acceleration as well as variations in sea-level rise from one region to another has proven challenging. Now new research offers the first comprehensive model for understanding differences in sea level rise along North America’s East Coast.

by |May 18, 2017
Meltwater rivers on the greenland ice sheet. M. Tedesco/Columbia University

In Greenland, Exactly Where Meltwater Enters the Ocean Matters

In southern Greenland in summer, rivers have been streaming off the ice sheet, pouring cold fresh water into the fjords. A new study tracks where that meltwater goes—with surprising results.

by |April 25, 2016