American scientists from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts have confirmed that the Gulf Stream has weakened over the past decade. According to them, we are talking about a stable trend, not a random coincidence with a 99% probability. To work published In the scientific journal Geophysical Research Letters (GRL).
According to the data presented, the Gulf Stream’s transport of water through the Strait of Florida has slowed by 4 percent in the last 40 years. The Gulf Stream remains the main ocean current off the East Coast of the United States and part of the Atlantic Ocean circulation, so its weakening could have serious consequences for the climate.
For example, the Gulf Stream affects weather and precipitation in Europe, coastal sea levels in the southeastern United States, and hurricane activity in the North Atlantic.
“Understanding past changes in the Gulf Stream is important for analyzing observed changes and predicting future trends in extreme events including droughts, floods, heat waves, and storms,” the paper says.
According to oceanographer Chris Picuch, lead author of the study, the reasons for the weakening of the Gulf Stream are not yet fully clear, but they may be due to anthropogenic climate change or natural factors.
Previous scientists named The weakening of the Gulf Stream is a threat to the climate in Europe.