A Major Ocean Current Could Be on The Verge of a Devastating 'Tipping Point'

The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) sea currents are vital in transporting heat from the tropics to the Northern Hemisphere, but new research suggests climate change might knock the AMOC out of action much sooner than we anticipated.

That could have profound, large-scale impacts on the planet in terms of weather patterns, upending agricultural practices, biodiversity, and economic stability across the vast areas of the world that the AMOC influences.

The problem is the rate at which Earth is warming up and melting the ice in the Arctic: according to the researchers' new models, this speed of temperature increase means the risk of hitting the tipping point for the AMOC going dormant is now an urgent concern.


"It is worrying news," says physicist Johannes Lohmann, from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark. "Because if this is true, it reduces our safe operating space."

Lohmann and his colleague Peter Ditlevsen adapted an existing ocean climate change model to study the consequences of an increased rate of freshwater input into the North Atlantic Ocean, driven by the rapid melting of the Greenland ice sheets.

The model showed that a faster rate of freshwater change could cancel out the AMOC much sooner. In a rate-induced tipping scenario like this, it's the rate at which change is occurring, rather than a specific threshold, that's most important – and once the tipping point is reached, there's no going back.


https://www.sciencealert.com/a-major-ocean-current-might-be-on-the-verge-of-a-climate-change-tipping-point

Most of the last 10,000 years has been warmer or as warm as today... And we're all still here...

Tommy Monk wrote:


Most of the last 10,000 years has been warmer or as warm as today... And we're all still here...

Strawman


And what does your point have to do with the fact we are at a tipping point that within a hundred years would dramatically effect the climate Tommy?

There is no tipping point... Read my above post...

Tommy Monk wrote:

There is no tipping point... Read my above post...

I did and it was complete bollocks

Ocean currents are controlled by the gravity of the moon as well as the earth turning on its axis... As well as the thermal influence...

Tommy Monk wrote:


Ocean currents are controlled by the gravity of the moon as well as the earth turning on its axis... As well as the thermal influence...

And yet they are slowing down as they have before in human history Tommy

The cause is known why they are slowing down

You however do not want to look at the facts and the devastation this will cause

As i can actually see tommys comment as you quoted it ,i would like to say he has it almost correct but missed a couple of factors  
ocean currents are  a continuous, directed movement of sea water generated by a number of forces acting upon the water, including wind, the Coriolis effect, breaking waves, cabbeling, and temperature and salinity differences.
Now the Coriolis effect and effect of the moon are constant and predictable (see any tide table)

So perhaps the main point to focus on here is salinity and temperature .
as more fresh water is dumped in to the ocean due to global warming lowering its salinity, this pushes ocean "Current" ocean currents of path this can affect landmasses in quite a dramatic way

The Gulf Stream proper is a western-intensified current, driven largely by wind stress. The North Atlantic Drift, in contrast, is largely driven by thermohaline circulation. By carrying warm water northeast across the Atlantic, it makes Western Europe and especially Northern Europe warmer and milder than it otherwise would be
if we loose that Europe would be in big trouble

Also the warming of the oceans and Increasing ocean temperatures affect marine species and ecosystems. Rising temperatures cause coral bleaching and the loss of breeding grounds for marine fishes and mammals thus affecting the food chain

And tides are controlled by the moon Not currents as such cause and effect is important to consider here the best wayto illustrate that is a boiling pot of water

Ps it is also important to distinguish between river currents (caused by gravity) and ocean currents cause by wind and thermohaline

It is the moons gravity that controls the tides... And the rotation of the earth... And the thermal influence.. that have the largest effect on the movement of the sea/ocean water on the planet.


And all the time we have the moon circling the earth, and the earth spinning on its axis, and the sun radiating heat on it, then this will long continue!!!


Same as it has done for millions of years before!!!