Your support helps us to tell the storySupport NowFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.Its collapse would have devastating consequences, causing severe droughts, Europe to freeze, sea levels to rise and the ocean – a critical carbon sink – would not take in as much of the greenhouse gases produced by our fossil fuels.The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, also known as the AMOC, is a system of deep ocean currents that acts as the Earth’s central heating system. It sends warm water north and cold water south within the Atlantic Ocean, bringing warmth to various parts of the globe. As a part of the global conveyor belt – a constantly moving system of deep-ocean circulation driven by temperature and salinity – it also carries nutrients necessary to sustain ocean life. Currents slow when more fresh water is injected into the ocean. Fresh water is less dense than the salt water that helps drive them.While there have been questions regarding the rate of weakening or collapse of the AMOC during recent years, research published this year has had extremely concerning conclusions. Now, a new study from the University of New South Wales is warning of the impact of the melting Greenland ice sheet and Canadian glaciers, which researchers say is weakening ocean circulation and speeding up warming in the southern hemisphere.The study’s authors said the AMOC, which is weaker now than at any other time in the past millennium, is likely to become a third weaker than it was 70 years ago when the Earth passes the 2 degrees Celsius mark of global warming over preindustrial levels. A 2-degree rise in global temperatures means humans could face multiple impacts of climate change simultaneously.And, if the additional melting of the Greenland ice sheet in the subarctic ocean is accounted for, the study says the AMOC could be 30 percent weaker by 2040: 20 years sooner than initially projected.Fast-moving meltwater rivers flow across the Greenland Ice Sheet. New research from the University of New South Wales is warning that the impact of that water could make critical ocean circulation waker much sooner than proj
Lun. Dic 23rd, 2024
