Overview

• The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation transports warm tropical waters northward, playing a vital role in moderating European winter temperatures.
• June model scenarios find that an 80 percent weakening of the AMOC could significantly amplify winter temperature drops in Northern Europe.
• Rising greenhouse gas emissions and freshwater influx from melting glaciers are identified as key factors in destabilizing the ocean conveyor belt.
• Some scientists caution that observational data have yet to signal a tipping point and that climate models generally reject a full collapse before 2100.
• Study authors call for urgent, drastic emissions reductions to lower the risk of crossing this potential climate tipping point.