A SYSTEM of ocean currents that transport heat northward across the North Atlantic could collapse by the middle of this century, a new study showed, reinforcing what scientists previously said that such a breakdown could cause catastrophic sea-level rises and extreme weather across the globe.
In recent decades, researchers have both raised and downplayed the specter of Atlantic current collapse. It even prompted a movie that strayed far from the science. And the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said two years ago that any such catastrophe was unlikely this century. But the new study, published in the "Nature Communications" journal, suggests it might not be as far away and unlikely as mainstream science says.
Continue reading with one of these options:
Ad-free access
P 80 per month
(billed annually at P 960)
- Unlimited ad-free access to website articles
- Limited offer: Subscribe today and get digital edition access for free (accessible with up to 3 devices)