Monday, September 7, 2015

And if you like year-round cold...

Then this is nothing to fret about (though your grandkids might be heading south):
Two new studies are adding to concerns about one of the most troubling scenarios for future climate change: the possibility that global warming could slow or shut down the Atlantic’s great ocean circulation systems, with dramatic implications for North America and Europe.
The research, by separate teams of scientists, bolsters predictions of disruptions to global ocean currents — such as the Gulf Stream — that transfer tropical warmth from the equator to northern latitudes, as well as a larger conveyor system that cycles colder water into the ocean’s depths. Both systems help ensure relatively mild conditions in parts of Northern Europe that would otherwise be much colder.
File:Average September Arctic Sea Ice Comparison 1979 vs 2013.ogg
This animation shows the difference in the area, volume and depth of the average September Arctic sea ice between 1979 and 2013. 

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