Critical ocean current has not declined in the last 60 years, AMOC study finds

The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) plays a crucial role in regulating the Earth's climate by moving water and distributing heat and nutrients. Recent concerns about its stability are tied to fresh water from melting polar ice disrupting this system.

However, a new study from scientists at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution indicates that the AMOC has remained stable over the past 60 years.

Nicholas P. Foukal remarked, "Our paper says that the Atlantic overturning has not declined yet."

The researchers utilized improved data and highlighted the importance of air-sea heat fluxes for better understanding the AMOC.

Past work relied on sea surface temperature measurements to understand how the AMOC has changed, but "we've learned that sea surface temperature doesn't work as well as initially thought," Jens Terhaar, affiliated scientist at WHOI and senior scientist at the University of Bern, says.

While a slowdown of the AMOC is expected, the possibility of collapse remains uncertain, suggesting there is "still time to act before we reach this potential tipping point."