The global ocean circulation system. Ma Photo/Riccardo Pravettoni via Gridarendal. The conveyor is driven by the descent of cold, salty water to the ocean floor in just two places: ...

A major motor for the global climate is beginning to falter: a massive system of ocean currents called the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), which also includes the Gulf Stream.

It is being hailed as a sea change in scientific understanding of the global ocean circulation system and how it will respond as the world heats up. A doomsday scenario involving the collapse of ...

The odds of such a collapse are low — about 5% or 10% this century, according to some researchers — but the consequences are so great that it would be unwise to ignore the possibility, Swain said.

A vital system of ocean currents in the Atlantic could collapse within a few decades – an event that would be catastrophic for global weather and “affect every person on the planet.” ...

An AMOC collapse would usher in global weather and climate shifts — including plunging temperatures in Europe, which relies on the current system for its mild weather.

Research shows that the Atlantic Ocean’s sensitive circulation system is in danger, but scientists still don’t know how close it is to collapse.

It is part of the global conveyor belt, a system of deep ocean currents driven by temperature, salinity and the wind on the ocean surface. The belt begins where warm water from the Gulf is thrust ...