Uncovering the North Atlantic's Climate Change Secrets

Researchers from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and UCL have found that heat transferring from the surface to the deep ocean in the North Atlantic has helped reduce climate swings over the past 1,000 years. By analyzing sediment cores, the team discovered that the deep North Atlantic consistently transferred surface climate changes to the deep ocean, preventing climate changes from being more severe. This process, known as the Atlantic Meridional Ocean Circulation (AMOC), acts as a conveyor belt carrying warm surface water north and cool deep water south. The study highlights the importance of the ocean in mitigating climate change and raises concerns about the potential impact of a weakening AMOC on heat absorption in the future.