A critical ocean current in the northern Atlantic weaken to the point of complete collapse due to climate change, warns a new study.

Scientists report that the North Atlantic subcutaneous cyclonea huge system of rotating ocean currents south of Greenlandhas lost stability for about 70 years.

The system is now approaching a critical limit that, if overcome, could cause sudden and dramatic climate changes.

The North Atlantic Sub -wing Cyclone transports heat from the tropics to the North Atlantic, helping to regulate temperatures in Europe and North America. However, its deceleration or weakening could throw Europe into a new “small fringe”, a dramatic cold period corresponding to the one that prevailed about between 1300 and 1850.

During the previous small frost era, rivers were frozen and the crops were destroyed, as average temperatures were reduced by about 2 ° C (3.6 ° F).

Dr. Beatrice Arelado Nava, a natural oceanography lecturer at the University of Exeter and the author of the study, described the findings particularly alarming: “Our results provide independent evidence that the North Atlantic has lost stability, suggesting that it can be stabilized.”

In oceanography, a cyclone (gyre) is a large system of surface ocean currents moving circularly, guided by the winds.

The North Atlantic Schopolis is one of five main subtropical cyclones worldwide and is part of Atlantic Meridian Reverse Traffic (AMOC) – The extensive system of ocean currents that distribute heat worldwide, while transporting nutrients and carbon dioxide to the deeper layers of the oceans.

AMOC, described as “the ocean metaphorical film”, transports warm water from the tropics to the northern hemisphere, maintaining Europe and the eastern coast of the US to mild temperatures – neither too hot nor cold.

But due to climate change, both of these systems are in danger of crossing a turning point or even collapsing, which would mean that much of the northern hemisphere, including Europe and North America, could experience hard, frozen winters.

In the study, the researchers analyzed data from mussels found in various areas of the North Atlantic, which secretly hide in their shells. They focused on his shells ocean quahog and his Dog Cockletwo kinds of mussels living buried at the bottom.

Each year, the mussel creates a new shell growth zone, and the width of this zone reflects environmental conditions for hundreds of years – such as the annual rings of a tree. In other words, the chemical composition of the shells captures the condition of the seawater in which they were growing.

Oxygen and coal isotopes provide critical information on marine environment procedures, such as regional circulation changes: “We do not have oceanographic data of the distant past, but the rings in the mussels give us an uninterrupted annual record of hundreds of years.” Naba.

The data has revealed two “destabilization episodes” over the last 150 years, suggesting that the system is approaching a critical point. The first happened in the early 20th century, before the 1920s, while the second, strongest, began around 1950 and continues to this day.

This means that the North Atlantic Sub -wing Cyclone is moving towards a turning point that could cause “destructive and irreversible changes” in the climate, such as the most extreme weather in Europe and changes in world rainfall motifs.

Although less devastating than AMOC’s collapse, the phenomenon will have significant impacts, as often extreme weather in the northern Atlantic and intense frosts in Europe. Britain and Northern Europe could experience Canada hard winters, while the eastern coast of the US may face strong increases in sea level.

Dr. Nava explained that the cyclone is likely to be “abruptly weakened”, but would not collapse completely, as it is also influenced by the winds. Rainfall, “he told the Daily Mail.

However, the weakening of the North Atlantic sub -sectional cyclone is the same procedure that occurred at the beginning of the small peacock era – suggesting that corresponding climate impacts could be re -emerged, even if AMOC does not collapse fully.

The study, published in Science Advancesprovides independent indications that the North Atlantic has “lost stability in recent decades and is vulnerable to a turning point”. Atlantic, “the expert added.