These presses can’t be easily restarted.
Did you know that there’s a massive ‘conveyor belt’ located right in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean? This belt plays a huge role in the climate of the world, and sadly, it’s no longer as fast-moving as it was before.
It’s been 150 years since this belt, basically the ocean’s circulation pattern, first started slowing down. Its regular pattern is extremely vital for regulating weather and climate on Earth, as the movements of the ocean can greatly affect the temperature of our world. A team led by scientists from Columbia University decided to study a part of the ocean in order to find out how long we have left before we see the effects of this slowdown.
After studying the so-called ‘Atlantic Meriodional Overturning Condition,’ they found out that it took roughly 400 years before any changes could be seen. The first time it happened was when it slowed down 13,000 years ago. 400 years later, it ended in a major cold snap. Then, 11,000 years ago, it started speeding up again. This continued on for about 400 years until it ended once more in abrupt warming.
Scientists say that its current slowdown is already a warning, even if the effects may not be seen yet. The study is published in the journal Nature Communications.
