The study warns of a potential collapse of AMOC, having profound impact on global climates.

What is Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC)? 

• It is a system of ocean currents that circulates water within the Atlantic Ocean, bringing warm water north and cold water south.
• This circulation is driven by differences in temperature and salinity, which create differences in water density, a process known as thermohaline circulation.
• Process:
  • AMOC brings warm, salty water from the Gulf of Mexico to the north Atlantic, keeping temperatures in western Europe milder than in Canada or Russia. 
  • The dense water then cools and sinks, moving south on the seafloor along the western Atlantic.
  • It eventually rises again through upwelling, warms up, and restarts the cycle.
• Significance: Part of the large "global conveyor belt," it circulates water, heat, and nutrients throughout the Atlantic Ocean.

Why is AMOC Collapsing?

• Climate Change induced Freshwater influx: Greenland's melting ice sheet has added ~5,000 km³ of freshwater into the subpolar North Atlantic Ocean.
  • Freshwater reduces the ocean's salinity and density, which slows sinking of water, resulting in weakening AMOC.