Gulf Stream 'is not slowing down'

Gulf Stream 'is not slowing down'

news.bbc.co.uk

The Gulf Stream does not appear to be slowing down, say US scientists who have used satellites to monitor tell-tale changes in the height of the sea.

(visit the link for the full news article)

And another arrow in the heart of climate change predictions.

The climate change models predicted that the gulf stream would slow down as melting ice water changed the temperature of artic waters.

itsgettinghotinhere.org...

Gulf Stream disruption: we all know about the polar ice shrinking, and that the albedo effect with darker water keeps polar areas warming faster and faster than the rest of the world. But then there’s the threat that collapse of large ice-masses like Greenland could send a massive rush of cold fresh water into the North Atlantic, threatening to cut off the Gulf Stream that keeps Europe warm (this is the disaster over-dramatized in The Day After Tomorrow). Scientists are now reducing the estimated risk of such on occurrence, but it should be noted that since the mid-1950s, the sinking of Gulf Stream water that drives the current has fallen by around 30% in response to colder fresher water. If you want a real shocker, go read The Weather Makers by Tim Flannery, where he discusses that fact that in past glacial periods, the Gulf Stream has collapsed in as little as a decade, throwing Europe and eastern North America into violent mini-ice ages even as main glacial periods were ebbing.

Tired of Control Freaks

news.bbc.co.uk
(visit the link for the full news article)

And again nobody posted a comment on an climate change topic.

I don't understand this at all.

First of all it tells us our current climate model is flawed.
Second it proof we are not heading for an ice age do the ocean current in the immediate future. Which is good news times two IMO.

Good find S&F

I first became aware of the potential threat of this slowing down in the early 1980s at grammar school. It's been a 'dooms day' scenario for me ever since.

So, it's good news for me. However, whilst this study appears to confirm other studies, it's only been a 7 year study and quotes such as this don't exactly inspire confidence:

The satellite record going back to 1993 did suggest a small increase in flow, although the researchers cannot be sure it is significant.

"The changes we're seeing in overturning strength are probably part of a natural cycle," said Josh Willis from Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California.

"The slight increase in overturning since 1993 coincides with a decades-long natural pattern of Atlantic heating and cooling."

I don't want "probably", Josh; I want to know what's actually happening.