Mini Ice Age on the Way? This Old Study on Devastating Impacts of Climate Change Predicts Possible Collapse of Gulf Stream as Early as Year 2025

The rapid melting of glaciers around the globe is one of the most concerning signs of climate change's catastrophic effects. Once believed to be everlasting, these glacial behemoths are gradually giving way under the constant assault of rising global temperatures. And old research that is gaining eyeballs again suggests what might mean danger for the entire planet. It states that as early as 2025, the melting of glaciers might cause the Gulf Stream to collapse, cutting off an essential ocean movement.

The North Atlantic region's climate is mostly controlled by the Gulf Stream, a strong ocean circulation that originates in the Gulf of Mexico. Its warm seas move heat from the Equator to the poles like a natural conveyor belt, affecting the weather patterns along the way. 50,000-Year-Old Mummified Ice Age Wolf Pup & Caribou Calf Discovered by Yukon Miners; View Pics.

The average temperature in North America, some regions of Asia, and portions of Europe may decrease by several degrees without this extra heat—it might drop by as much as 10 degrees Celsius in a few decades. "Severe and cascading consequences around the world" are what this will do. These include a spike in storm frequency, major disruptions to the rainy season—which provides food for billions of people—and an increase in sea level along North America's east coast, which is reminiscent to the events depicted in the 2004 film "The Day After Tomorrow."

The Gulf Stream collapse is predicted by the research to occur between 2025 and 2095, with a central estimate of 2050, if global carbon emissions do not decline, according to The Guardian. Mammoth Discovery! Over 200 Skeletons of Giant Animals From Ice Age Found in Mexico City's Airport Construction Site.

Officially known as the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, or Amoc, the Gulf Stream is a component of a much larger system of currents. The research, which was published in the journal Nature Communications, utilised data on sea surface temperatures dating back to 1870—the end of the Little Ice Age—as a stand-in for how the intensity of ocean currents has changed over time. The route these systems take as they get closer to a certain kind of tipping point known as a "saddle-node bifurcation" was then shown using this data by the researchers.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 15, 2024 05:58 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).