New Washington Post article on Thermohaline Circulation (THC)

Maybe somebody out there is listening...this Washington Post Article was posted at 12:30 pm today...15 minutes after our class ended, and I had asked for updates on this topic.

It is a very concise and easy to read article, mostly based on new research by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, which I had referenced in last week's class.

In a nutshell, the THC did recently slow down, as we saw last week, then it has sped back up for a temporary period of time, and now it seems to be slowing down again. Accelerated melting of Greenland glaciers introducing lower density freshwater into the North Atlantic is the primary suspect for the present THC slowdown.

So please get updated on this situation, and read the above linked Washington Post article. As with most of their articles, it is clear, concise and well researched.

Me?, I am off to design a floating city for Lewes and nearby residents....more on that in our next and last class.

Recent Measurements and Predictions of Thermohaline Circulation (THC)

Now I recall why I did not include such information in today's class....it was because I could not find any recent meaningful reports. This afternoon I have Googled it, Wikipedia'd it, and no recent information worth reporting can I find. I will continue....BUT

......this blog post is also a request to anyone in our OLLI, Oceans and Climate Change class, to bring to the next class, 3/23/15, any recent information about THC measurements and predictions you can find.

Many thanks,
Bill

Changes in Antarctica May Cool Europe

Europe's climate in recent history has been warmed by the Gulf Stream. Plus some recent European cold periods have been attributed to a reduction in Gulf Stream flow, like the Little Ice Age from about 1350 to 1850.

So is this happening again? There is some solid evidence that it may be.

See this Smithsonian article about the shutdown of deep sea mixing in the Weddell Sea of Antarctica in Climate Change Felt in Deep Waters of Antarctica. There are also many good links in this article, such as the science behind Thermohaline Circulation, aka Ocean Conveyor Belt.

Since there is also a corresponding slow down of the deep water ocean circulation in the N. Atlantic due to increased fresh water influx from melting Greenland glaciers, the combined effect of Arctic and Antarctic changes on the Thermohaline Circulation may become especially significant in the future.

Above picture is my family in 1979, north of the Arctic Circle in Norway. Cold then, and now maybe getting colder (thermohaline changes)...or maybe getting warmer (greenhouse gas effects). They will probably see, and I believe in their lifetime, they will make positive efforts to benefit the health of our planet.