AMOC, the climate against the current – Pascale Lherminier, UMR LOPS, on France Culture
In 2023, the IPCC deemed it highly unlikely that the AMOC would collapse by the end of the century. In a recent letter, some experts believe that this risk has been underestimated. What is this current? How does it influence the climate? Is its collapse imminent? What would be the consequences?
With
- Didier Swingedouw Climatologist at the Environnements et Paléoenvironnements Océaniques et Continentaux (EPOC) laboratory in Bordeaux.
- Pascale Lherminier Physicist at Ifremer, UMR LOPS in Brest.
Global warming is threatening a vast set of marine currents in the Atlantic Ocean: the AMOC. According to 43 international experts, we have underestimated the risks of shutting it down. What would be the consequences?
The AMOC is a system of ocean currents, of which the Gulf Stream is a part. It is one of the major drivers of climate, playing a crucial role in redistributing heat around the planet, and is one of the reasons why our climate in Western Europe is temperate. In a recent letter, experts stress the collateral effects of its slowing down, or even its collapse. Because this is now a probable risk.