Cold spot in the Atlantic could signal big trouble for global climate
Cold spot in the Atlantic could signal big trouble for global climate By Sanjana Gajbhiye - Earth.com staff writer For over 100 years, the North Atlantic has hosted an anomaly. South of Greenland lies a patch of cool ocean water. This region, called the North Atlantic Warming Hole (NAWH), defies global warming. Scientists long debated its cause. A new study now shows that the weakening of a vital ocean current – the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) – explains it best. People have been asking why this cold spot exists,” said climate scientist Wei Liu. “We found the most likely answer is a weakening AMOC.” Source of the Atlantic cold spot The AMOC moves warm, salty water northward and cooler water southward. This system shapes climate across continents. When it slows, less heat and salt reach the north. The result? Cooler, fresher waters south of Greenland. Liu and Kai-Yuan Li from University of California Riverside, studied temperature and salinity dat...