A new study sheds light on the vital role that the mixing of Atlantic and Arctic waters plays in sustaining the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), which is crucial for regulating Earth’s climate.
A new study sheds light on the vital role that the mixing of Atlantic and Arctic waters plays in sustaining the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), which is crucial for regulating Earth’s climate.
Researchers from the University of Southampton, the Indian Institute of Technology Bhubaneswar, the National Oceanography Centre and Stockholm University analysed ocean data from 1979 to 2021 to better understand how the mixing of Atlantic and Arctic waters helps to maintain the AMOC.
The AMOC acts like a giant ocean conveyor belt moving warm water from the tropics north and cold water south, distributing heat around the planet. It helps to keep Northern Europe, including the UK, relatively mild compared to other regions at similar latitudes.
The study published in Nature Communications found that the lower limb of the AMOC - the part of this ‘conveyor belt’ consisting of deep, cold, dense water flowing southward in the Atlantic Ocean - is composed of 72 per cent Atlantic waters and 28 per cent Arctic waters.
Read more at University of Southampton
Photo Credit: PublicCo via Pixabay
