Chilling news: a mysterious patch of cold water at the bottom of the north Atlantic is caused by the weakening of a vital ocean current that, if it collapses, would trigger devastating climate shifts across the globe.
At least, that’s the conclusion of a new study published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, which seeks to settle the debate on the ocean’s so-called “cold blob” that has mystified scientists for years.
While the rest of the world heats up, this region to the southeast of Greenland keeps getting colder. Some theories propose that atmospheric phenomena like shifting wind patterns are responsible, causing the water to lose heat through its surface.
But a growing body of evidence has explored the possibility that the cold blob is a symptom of a much more troubling malady: the impending collapse of a key artery of the global ocean called the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, or AMOC.
