What is the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation

{AMOC – We are maybe more familiar with this here in the British Isles as “The Gulf Stream”.  The Gulf Stream is only a part of the AMOC, but it is important to us.

If this circulation fails, which it is on course to do, because of global warming, we are in trouble and so is all the sea life around our shores.  The article is well presented, have a read.

The AMOC is a system of ocean currents that circulates water within the Atlantic Ocean, bringing warm water north and cold water south – Earth and Leaf Editorial}

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What is the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC)?

The ocean’s water is constantly circulated by currents. Tidal currents occur close to shore and are influenced by the sun and moon. Surface currents are influenced by the wind. However, other, much slower currents that occur from the surface to the seafloor are driven by changes in the saltiness and ocean temperature, a process called thermohaline circulation. These currents are carried in a large “global conveyor belt,” which includes the AMOC.

AMOC stands for Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation. The AMOC circulates water from north to south and back in a long cycle within the Atlantic Ocean. This circulation brings warmth to various parts of the globe and also carries nutrients necessary to sustain ocean life.

The circulation process begins as warm water near the surface moves toward the poles (such as the Gulf Stream in the North Atlantic), where it cools and forms sea ice. As this ice forms, salt is left behind in the ocean water. Due to the large amount of salt in the water, it becomes denser, sinks down, and is carried southwards in the depths below. Eventually, the water gets pulled back up towards the surface and warms up in a process called upwelling, completing the cycle.

The entire circulation cycle of the AMOC, and the global conveyor belt, is quite slow. It takes an estimated 1,000 years for a parcel (any given cubic meter) of water to complete its journey along the belt. Even though the whole process is slow on its own, there is some evidence that the AMOC is slowing down further. NOAA funds research to better understand this potential slowing, as well as to investigate the AMOC’s role in coastal sea level changes and its relationship to extreme events.

Today’s link to our pages or posts . . .

Atlantic Ocean Currents on the Verge of Collapse. This is What it Means for the Planet