Palm Trees in England
I have recently been hearing and reading about another potential climate crisis. Have you ever heard of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC)? Perhaps not. It is part of a global network of interconnected ocean currents that carry water throughout the world’s oceans powered by a combination of differences in the ocean density and the surface winds. It distributes the ocean’s heat, moisture, and nutrients, but also regulates the Earth’s climate and weather. The part of AMOC that you perhaps are most familiar with is the Gulf Stream. The Gulf Steam is an oceanic river of warm water that sweeps northward along the Atlantic coast of North America bringing warm saline water north that moderates the climate of western Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Great Britain etc. As the warm water moves north, evaporation increases its saltiness, making it more dense. This warm conveyer belt of water allows palm trees to grow in southern England. As the warm surface water sweeps into the arctic region, it cools and since cold water is more dense than warm water, it sinks and returns south as a deep-water current.
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So, is there a problem? It recently was thought, based on several studies and reports, that a weakening of the Gulf Stream has been taking place, and the apparent cause linked to climate change. The implications for Great Britain and other countries that would be impacted are potentially huge. But the good news from a recent study suggests otherwise. The paper was published online 6 December 2024 in Nature Communications titled “Atlantic overturning inferred from air-sea heat fluxes indicates no decline since the 1960s”. What is/was the driving point of the concern? Why might the flow rate weaken? Currently the Greenland ice cap is losing an estimated 270 billion tons of ice annually due to climate change, adding to sea level rise. Also, this melted freshwater ice flowing into the north Atlantic adjacent to Greenland is less dense than the salt water it mixes with. The result is a layer of surface water that does not sink as readily when cooled thus reducing the return flow of the dense salty cold water in the normal return flow toward the equator. The long-term outlook is not good. The melt rate of Greenland’s ice is accelerating and may increase sea levels by several inches by 2100. The melt of the entire ice cap would increase sea levels by 20 feet. That scenario will be faced by future generations. The long-term impact on the stability of the AMOC remains a question. Understanding the dynamics of the process of climate change and the AMOC is critical as we plan today for the future. It demands global political leadership who are capable of and willing to recognize the global limits we face and to take the necessary steps to bring stability to a climate system that currently is increasingly more unstable. Will that leadership please step forward! Our prayer today is the same as it was in the previous issue of Creation’s Corner. Our prayer: Lord, we ask you to provide guidance to those working to understand the dynamics of your wonderful and mysterious Creation – as we seek to be responsible stewards of this amazing world. We also pray that you will open the eyes and ears of those in powerful positions that they may respond with your love and care of this sacred place we call Earth. Amen. Thanks for listening. — Joe Sheldon Direct comments to Joe Sheldon at [email protected] If you would like to receive additional information on Creation care, notices of special events, Creation walks I lead, etc. please contact me at the above address and I will add you to my e-mail list. Your comments are welcome. |
