Top Posts
FG says desertification has disrupted livelihoods of over...
UN agency says deadly floods show need for...
NOA sensitises on climate change impact
UN climate change director calls for urgent action...
Environmental activist dismisses CoP meetings on climate change...
Trump administration says it won’t publish major climate...
Climate change: Stakeholders demand action on land use,...
Report: Climate change threatening global data centres
IMF warns climate change may deepen Nigeria’s debt...
Report: Death toll of European Heatwave 3 times...
EcoNai Newsroom
  • Newsround
  • Nigeria
  • Africa
  • World
World

New study shows Gulf Stream definitely weakening

by admineconai October 2, 2023
written by admineconai October 2, 2023
702

A new study has confirmed that the Gulf Stream really is weakening, a finding which has profound implications for one of the biggest weather systems on our planet.

Researchers from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the University of Miami looked at four decades of data from the Florida Straits, including measurements of the volume of seawater transported through the region in that time.

Among other things, they found that Gulf Stream transport has decreased by about 4 percent over the past 40 years, which they describe as the first “conclusive, unambiguous observational evidence” of a slowing. Though the underlying reasons weren’t assessed as part of the study, there’s a 99 percent chance that this weakening isn’t a random event, the researchers say.

“This is the strongest, most definitive evidence we have of the weakening of this climatically-relevant ocean current,” says physical oceanographer Chris Piecuch, from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
“While we can definitively say this weakening is happening, we are unable to say to what extent it is related to climate change or whether it is a natural variation.”

Read also: Mass death of Amazonian dolphins raises fears for vulnerable species

According to reports, the Florida Straits are a good showcase for the effects of the Gulf Stream, which flows out from the Gulf of Mexico, around Florida, up the east coast of the US, and then across the Atlantic. The current takes with it warmer water, which then affects temperatures, precipitation, sea level, hurricane activity and more. It also transports nutrients across the ocean, including carbon.

In this case, a complex Bayesian model – one which works out probabilities and uncertainties to high levels of precision – was applied to the data collected from satellite readings, undersea cables, and field recordings.

The study-a worrying report on the changing state of Earth’s climate- is an evidence of how important long-term ocean observations are in identifying trends that last over several decades or even longer.

Story was adapted from Science Alert.

Climate changeGulf StreamStudyWeak
0 comment 0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
admineconai

previous post
Mass death of Amazonian dolphins raises fears for vulnerable species
next post
English water firms demand £96bn to cuts leaks, discharges

Related Posts

UN agency says deadly floods show need for...

July 22, 2025

UN climate change director calls for urgent action...

July 18, 2025

Environmental activist dismisses CoP meetings on climate change...

July 18, 2025

Trump administration says it won’t publish major climate...

July 18, 2025

Report: Climate change threatening global data centres

July 14, 2025

Report: Death toll of European Heatwave 3 times...

July 9, 2025

Japanese Island evacuates residents after relentless earthquake

July 7, 2025

5.2 Magnitude Earthquake Shakes Costa Rica’s Pacific Coast

July 7, 2025

Trump shuts down U.S. website on climate change

July 7, 2025

Report: Absa’s Mauritius Unit to Nearly Quadruple Green...

June 30, 2025

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Newsletter

Subscribe my Newsletter for new blog posts, tips & new photos. Let's stay updated!

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin
  • Bloglovin
  • Vimeo

@2021 - All Right Reserved. Designed and Developed by Eco-Nai+

EcoNai Newsroom
  • Newsround
  • Nigeria
  • Africa
  • World