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You Should Be Worried About This Terrifying Ocean Discovery
We don’t know what we are messing with.
The Ocean is a terrifying place. We have yet to even scrape the surface of the mysteries hidden in its dark depths. Yet, the dangers dwelling in this abyss are far scarier than any monster. Scientists recently discovered that the Ocean is about to deliver humanity a colossal dose of climate karma. You see, our obliteration of the Earth’s environment is causing the Ocean’s overturning circulation currents to slow or potentially completely collapse. For decades, we’ve known such collapses could cause hugely devastating changes in weather patterns. But MIT scientists have recently discovered that these collapses will also cause one of the few systems keeping our planet from slipping into a climate apocalypse to falter.
But let’s first start with what an overturning circulation current actually is. The most famous one is the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), also known as the Gulf Stream. Overturning circulation currents are interlinked systems of cool deepwater currents and warm surface currents driven by winds and sea ice. You see, as sea ice forms in the poles, the water around the ice sheets gets saltier and, therefore, denser, as ice can’t contain salt. This cold, dense water sinks, drawing warmer surface waters in from the tropics…
