The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), which helps maintain a mild climate in Europe, brings rainfall to the tropics, and stores CO₂, is expected to slow down and might even stop due to climate change, raising concerns among scientists.
A colossal storm system that freezes everything in its path, with temperatures plunging to -101°C; enormous hailstones striking Tokyo; gigantic tornadoes destroying Los Angeles; New York frozen in ice… In 2004, the Hollywood film The Day After Tomorrow, directed by Roland Emmerich, depicted the catastrophic consequences of a disruption to the Atlantic Ocean circulation, leading to a new ice age.
From a scientific standpoint, this scenario is entirely unrealistic, both in terms of the cooling magnitude and the time scale: it would take centuries or even millennia, not just a few days. Nevertheless, the blockbuster highlights a threat that increasingly concerns scientists and sparks intense debates: the risk of a collapse of the Atlantic’s primary ocean circulation. This meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) plays a crucial role in maintaining a temperate climate in Europe and regulating the temperature in North America.
Source: acrobat
