Scientists have recorded the weakest current of the Gulf Stream in the last 1000 years

Scientists have stated that they have observed the weakest current of the Gulf Stream in the last thousand years. In the new

research in which specialists participatedfrom Ireland, Great Britain and Germany, it is said that global warming is to blame. Increased precipitation and increased melting of the Greenland ice sheet add fresh water to the warm current of the Gulf Stream, which reduces its salinity and, consequently, its density. In this case, less water sinks to a depth, and the flow of water is weakened. The giant ocean circulation system affects weather conditions in Europe and explains the “cold spot” in the North Atlantic.

The researchers explained that usually the Gulf Streamworks "like a giant conveyor belt", carrying warm surface water from the equator to the north, and sending cold, deep water back to the south. It moves nearly 20 million cubic meters of water per second, nearly 100 times the flow of the Amazon. Previous research has shown a slowdown in ocean currents by about 15% since the mid-20th century.

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Scientists have combined dozens of studies for the first timeOf the Gulf Stream and have compiled a complete picture of the evolution of the system over the past 1600 years. The research results showed that the current was relatively stable until the end of the 19th century. With the end of the ice age, around 1850, ocean currents began to decrease, and then, starting in the middle of the 20th century, they fell even more sharply. Already in a special report on the oceans for 2019, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) concluded with a moderate degree of confidence that “compared to 1850-1900. there was a weakening of the current ”.

The researchers note that their findings provide additional independent evidence for this conclusion and place it in a longer-term paleoclimatic context.

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