Is the AMOC Already Broken?

Brand new research has come out that shows WHY the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation is no longer considered a low-probability tipping point. And it’s terrifying. Weathered host Maiya May explains how the world's largest heat transfer, which affects systems like the Gulf Stream, is at the risk of shutting down by 2050.

[mcfaddenhall]

I love that you film these while out hiking.

[bouzoukiman]

We must continue to do as the billionaire industrialists say

[idkidk]

2060 will be a fun year 10 billion people and a stagnate ocean

[Shonade_Malik]

I'm interested to see how the world will be like when AMOC, especially the gulf stream when they collapse. From what I know, UK is going to be 5 - 10 degrees Celsius colder than it already is because of its already high latitude (similar to that of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada).

[bigmike-]

If the AMOC collapses, we'll see massive, dramatic impacts to global agriculture and livestock farming within the first 12-18 months. "Dramatic" isn't even the right word, because of how bad it will actually be. Ecosystems across most of the planet will be dramatically altered as a result of this event.

We will see massive crop failures, and thus widespread famines, on a scale that has never before been witnessed by humankind since the beginning of recorded history. Subsequent deaths from this event would not be measured not in "millions, " but in "billions." If, and when, the AMOC collapses... so too will be the true decline of human civilization: Famine inevitably leads to war for farmible land and resources, the resurgance of long-thought-conquered diseases, significant destabilization and political unrest within every nation by the sick and hungry, etc.

Try as I might, there are simply not enough words to elucidate how incredibly, unbelievably bad the collapse of the AMOC will be if it comes to pass.

[sietaluichies]

A breakdown of the AMOC would not mean it would completely stop. The Gulf stream is mainly powered by the Coriolis force, and only for a small part by thermohaline processes. So it cannot come to a complete stop. As for the sink of salt water in the waters of Greenland, this sink is now driven by the fact that salt water is heavier, if the salt content would change the system will ‘switch’ to be driven by the temperature of the water. So again it will not completely stop, rather it will just slow down. Another consequence could be that the location of the sink would move because of this. Nevertheless, the implications of a weaker AMOC could be detrimental to the climate. We should 100% take climate change seriously, but be careful to not jumping to conclusions.

[johnnyearp]

Does that mean more flooding for NYC, Florida and elsewhere on the Eastern coast of the USA? And elsewhere?

[khorkienjoo]

If the current collapses, then the climate will run... AMOC. Get it?

[abberss]

The Elite: "yeah well let's just continue to do nothing about it"

[johnjohnson]

A global climate collapse could be the first time humans will have to adapt to their environment again and not the other way around.

[Rene-uzeb]

As far as I can tell this paper makes not much sense, but clearly the arctic sea ice has receded as far as it gets in the summer so the amoc has no more room to grow from here, and arctic atmosphere is heating up like crazy. We should be looking at the heat trapped in the south to see how much less effective the amoc is becoming, after all the hot surface water of the amoc runs fast, it's not like we can't observe the dynamics because the deep waters run slow.

[jeffreycarman]

This is a scary proposition. We need to accelerate our efforts to stop climate change!

[gtjet]

The Day After Tomorrow makes it's return 😳

[denmark]

love that for us, ice age incomming 😒 like its not cold enough already😂
they say between 2025-2095
so we really dont know when, gotta go buy that jacket before its to late.

[graz]

AMOC or as most people call it -
The Gulf Stream!
The UK could be colder than Siberia? 🥶
If the tipping point happens in 1000 years, I will be annoyed! 😠

[joannethorne]

I remember it being called the Thermal Haline Current...I think. Anyway, it's an elegant, self-CORRECTING system.
Too Hot=hotter water=melty ice=cooler water=Cooler
In the most simplistic terms.

[bobing]

Now that's terrible, but if Europe gets colder because it stops then hopefully I don't have to live another summer like this one. 30°C continuously from May to October in eastern France is something I was not prepared for.

[johnnamkeh]

We dont know anything about the AMOC in the past 1009 years because humans weren't measuring it back then.

[dannynye]

It’s alway 2050, to avoid panic. Scientist say much sooner, like a few yesrs

[yovigg]

2060? 2050? This is gonna be much sooner.