Who had Mini Ice age, instead of Nuclear war? Show of hands...

~NightSky

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There has been a lot of speculation that the whole AMOC (otherwise known as the Gulf Stream), could come to a halt. The AMOC brings warm water to Europe from the equator, and when it stops flowing that will lead to a mini-ice age in Europe with winter temperatures dropping by 10-30C. While scientists are 98% certain that the AMOC will stop flowing by 2100, recent studies suggest that the collapse could come as soon as this year, or at least in the next few decades.

July 1st 2025
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Thanks to data obtained from Earth observation satellites, an international team of scientists has detected an unprecedented phenomenon for the first time: a reversal in the ocean circulation of the Southern Ocean. The study, led by the National Oceanographic Center (NOC, United Kingdom), was recently published in the journal PNAS.
https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2500440122

The Institut de Cičncies del Mar (ICM-CSIC) played a fundamental role in the research by developing a set of pioneering satellite observations within the framework of the SO-FRESH project, funded by the European Space Agency (ESA).

The study’s main finding is both surprising and alarming: since 2016, a sustained increase in surface salinity has been detected in the region between the polar and subpolar gyres of the Antarctic Ocean. This change in water composition suggests that the deep ocean circulation in the Southern Hemisphere—known as the SMOC—is not only being altered, but has reversed. That is, instead of sinking into the depths, surface water is being replaced by deep water masses rising to the surface

https://www.icm.csic.es/en/news/major-reversal-ocean-circulation-detected-southern-ocean-key-climate-implications

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https://www.intellinews.com/southern-ocean-current-reverses-for-first-time-signalling-risk-of-climate-system-collapse-389540/

Southern Ocean current reverses for first time

By bne IntelliNews July 5, 2025

A major ocean current in the Southern Hemisphere has reversed direction for the first time in recorded history, in what climatologists are calling a “catastrophic” tipping point in the global climate system.

The development, which was confirmed by Spanish marine scientists at El Institut de Cičncies del Mar (ICM-CSIC) in Barcelona, has triggered widespread alarm among climate scientists due to its potential to accelerate global warming and destabilise weather patterns worldwide.

“The stunning reversal of ocean circulation in the Southern Hemisphere confirms the global climate system has entered a catastrophic phase,” said climate activist Ben See in a post on social media.

The collapse involves the deep overturning circulation in the South Atlantic — part of the global conveyor belt of ocean currents — which typically pulls cold, nutrient-rich water up from the ocean floor and drives planetary heat distribution.

The study, published on July 2, identifies a collapse and reversal of the Deep Western Boundary Current (DWBC) in the South Atlantic — a key part of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC).