Scientists are worried about a possible devastating impact on our planet. Their concerns are tied to the Gulf Stream, as the current poses a risk of collapsing. The stream remains one of the main potential tipping points when it comes to the climate crisis.
The worrying news is brought by The Guardian. Researchers found that there’s “an almost complete loss of stability over the last century” when it comes to the currents.
Unexpected situation
Niklas Boers did the new research, and he works at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany. The man declared, as cited by The Guardian:
The signs of destabilisation being visible already is something that I wouldn’t have expected and that I find scary,
It’s something you just can’t [allow to] happen.
The possible consequences could be catastrophic. Such an event would push up sea levels, increase storms and lower the temperatures across Europe, endanger the Amazon rainforest as well as Antarctic ice sheets, and last but not least: it would disrupt the rains that many people rely on for food across India, Africa, and South America.
The Gulf Stream also has its northern extension known as the North Atlantic Drift. Both are representing a warm Atlantic ocean current that starts from the Gulf of Mexico and stretches all the way to the tip of Florida. It also follows the eastern coastlines of the US and Newfoundland before it crosses the Atlantic Ocean.
To get another good idea of how important the Gulf Stream is, you must know that it influences the climate from Europe’s west coast, as well as the one from the east coast of North America.
Whether we like to admit it or not, we all have only one planet at our disposal. Moving to Mars or elsewhere in the Solar System won’t be possible in the near future. Therefore, learning how to take good care of Earth is practically mandatory.