Environment

Atlantic Cool 'Blob' May Be From Ocean Current Slowdown

Some atmospheric scientists are concerned that an unusual “blob” of cold water has emerged in parts of the far northern Atlantic Ocean during the past two years.

While the world as a whole seems poised to experience the warmest year on record, the cold blob stands out.

Located between southern Greenland and Europe, the cold pool could mean the Atlantic’s so-called “meridional overturning circulation,” of which the Gulf Stream is a part, could be slowing down.

It’s believed the freshwater runoff from Greenland’s melting ice cap could be impeding the typical sinking of the cold North Atlantic water before its deep return flow to the tropics.

Differences in temperature and salinity drive the entire ocean’s circulation.

Any slowdown of the vast oceanic engine could impact sea levels around the North Atlantic as well as marine life.

The darkest blue over the North Atlantic indicates where the coldest temperatures on record occurred between January and August 2015.