All articles tagged with #cold blob
Scientists link a persistent cooling anomaly south of Greenland—the North Atlantic 'cold blob'—to a slowdown in the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). A weaker AMOC could reduce the ocean's heat transport, shifting weather, storm tracks, and potentially accelerating sea-level rise along the U.S. East Coast, with the strongest impacts near Greenland, Iceland, and northern Europe.
A new analysis ties the North Atlantic 'cold blob' to a weakening Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), showing reduced heat transport into the region rather than increased surface heat loss. The finding suggests the AMOC is near a dangerous tipping point with wide climate implications, including potential changes to European winters and global weather, aligning with CMIP6 projections and recent studies indicating a possible slowdown or collapse mid-century.
A cooling patch southeast of Greenland, nicknamed the cold blob or warming hole, is linked to a weakening Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). New work suggests freshwater from melting Greenland ice is driving the cooling, and a weaker AMOC could reduce heat transport to Europe, potentially sparking colder, longer winters—though the data are not yet conclusive and other factors may also be involved.