Scientists Warn North Atlantic Current Could Collapse In 100 Years

A new study has revealed that the North Atlantic Current has a chance of partially collapsing within the next 100 years. If this occurs, it could have considerable effects on the climate of Europe.

The North Atlantic Current lies within the Atlantic Ocean and extends to the Gulf Stream. It is responsible for delivering warm water from the Gulf of Mexico to the European regions. It is known to provide a relatively mild climate to this area.

However, due to recent environmental changes, scientists believe that the North Atlantic Current could go through drastic changes within the next century. The scientists identified the flowing water from the melting ice in Greenland and excessive rainfall due to climate change as the primary factors that could cause this effect.

Through simulations conducted by scientists from the Utrecht University and the University of Groningen, they discovered that excessive volumes of freshwater could interfere with the current. This coincides with previous findings suggesting that major ocean currents are sensitive to the amount of freshwater on the surface.

Based on their simulations, the scientists discovered that the North Atlantic Current is at risk of suffering a partial collapse within the next century.

“In our simulations, the chances of this happening in the next 100 years are 15 percent,” Fred Wubs, an associate professor at the University of Groningen said in a statement according to SciTechDaily.

If this occurs, the flow of the North Atlantic Current would get disrupted. This means the transport of warm water to Europe would partially halt, which could lead to the development of cold fronts in the region.

Fortunately, the scientists noted that if a partial collapse occurs, it will not be permanent. The scientists also noted that the chances of a total collapse happening, even within the next 1,000 years, are unlikely.

“As the transitions we were looking for are expected to be rare events, you need a huge number of simulations to estimate the chance of them happening,” Wubs stated.

The findings of the scientists regarding the possible changes within the North Atlantic Current were recently published in the journal Nature.