{"id":45782,"date":"2025-06-20T21:14:06","date_gmt":"2025-06-20T15:44:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=45782"},"modified":"2025-07-16T18:13:08","modified_gmt":"2025-07-16T12:43:08","slug":"atlantic-meridional-overturning-circulation-amoc-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/20-06-2025\/atlantic-meridional-overturning-circulation-amoc-2","title":{"rendered":"Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS1\/ Geography&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Recently, a climate study found that if the <strong>Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC)<\/strong> collapses, Europe could face a dramatic and prolonged winter freeze, even in a world warmed by greenhouse gas emissions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC)&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It is one of the most powerful and complex systems <strong>driving Earth\u2019s climate.<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It is often likened to a giant <strong>conveyor belt<\/strong> that transports <strong>warm surface waters<\/strong> from the tropics northward and <strong>returns cold<\/strong>, dense water southward at depth.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It regulates <strong>temperatures across the Atlantic basin <\/strong>and plays a vital role in <strong>global climate stability, sea-level patterns, and marine ecosystems.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"afb0b4\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1020\" height=\"463\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Atlantic-Meridional-Overturning-Circulation.png\" alt=\"Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-45822\" style=\"--dominant-color: #afb0b4; width:578px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Atlantic-Meridional-Overturning-Circulation.png 1020w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Atlantic-Meridional-Overturning-Circulation-300x136.png 300w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Atlantic-Meridional-Overturning-Circulation-768x349.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1020px) 100vw, 1020px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Working of AMOC<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/10-08-2021\/atlantic-meridional-overturning-circulation-amoc\"><strong>AMOC <\/strong><\/a>is a <strong>key component<\/strong> of the <strong>global thermohaline circulation<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Warm, salty water<\/strong> flows <strong>northward <\/strong>via currents like the<strong> Gulf Stream<\/strong>. As it reaches higher latitudes, it cools and becomes denser, sinking into the deep ocean and flowing back south.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It helps <strong>distribute heat and nutrients<\/strong> across the globe, influencing weather patterns from the Amazon to the Arctic.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Slowing of AMOC and the Tipping Point<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Recent studies suggest that the AMOC has weakened significantly since the mid-20th century, and is <strong>expected to slow by 18\u201343% by 2100.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It is <strong>primarily driven<\/strong> by climate change, particularly the <strong>influx of freshwater<\/strong> from melting Greenland ice, which <strong>disrupts the salinity and density gradients <\/strong>that power the current.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>AMOC may be <strong>approaching a tipping point,<\/strong> beyond which its collapse could trigger abrupt and irreversible climate shifts.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>AMOC has two potential tipping points<\/strong> \u2014 one linked to <strong>salt transport feedback<\/strong> and another to <strong>deep ocean convection<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-background\" style=\"background-color:#ebecf0\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Climate Tipping Points&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/strong><br>&#8211; These are <strong>critical thresholds in Earth\u2019s systems<\/strong>\u2014once crossed, they can trigger <strong>self-reinforcing feedback loops<\/strong> that lead to <strong>abrupt, irreversible, and potentially catastrophic changes.<\/strong><br>&#8211; They occur when a <strong>small change<\/strong> in temperature or pressure pushes a system \u2014 like an ice sheet, rainforest, or ocean current \u2014 into a radically different state.<br><strong>Key Tipping Elements at Risk<\/strong><br>&#8211; Recent assessments have <strong>identified at least 16 major Earth system components<\/strong> that are <strong>vulnerable to tipping<\/strong>, including:<br>1. Greenland and West Antarctic Ice Sheets;<br>2. Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC);<br>3. Amazon Rainforest Dieback;<br>4. Arctic Permafrost Thaw;Coral Reef Collapse;<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Potential Consequences<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Europe may face colder winters despite global warming, as warm currents fail to reach its shores.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>West Africa could see disrupted monsoon patterns, affecting agriculture and water security.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Eastern North America might experience accelerated sea-level rise.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Amazon and South Asia could suffer from altered rainfall patterns, increasing drought risk.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-background\" style=\"background-color:#fff2cc\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Ocean Currents<\/strong><br>&#8211; Horizontal and vertical components of the circulation system of ocean waters.<br><strong>Types<\/strong><br>&#8211; <strong>Surface Currents:<\/strong> Surface Circulation<br>&#8211; <strong>Deep Water Currents:<\/strong> Thermohaline Circulation<br><strong>Forces<\/strong><br>&#8211; <strong>Primary<\/strong>: Solar Heating, Winds, Gravity, Coriolis force<br>&#8211; <strong>Secondary<\/strong>: Temperature, Salinity &amp; Density Difference <br><br><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Ocean Currents\" width=\"547\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com\/docsz\/AD_4nXfAQWzCCR9QZ-FOhkf_Twj9Vw79FwceAVhXqH9Tk3oY5aEcWGYBi_DAtGAWKz3sKqpfn9EUPfQqDkz58nuwovO3yzk4mLLwXiS-tlCFY9l-fgkNapKp1qNWN5WVgQz_gVgv84YzKA?key=wrflFlTdDnCK3x5est9KiA\"><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.downtoearth.org.in\/climate-change\/europe-faces-deep-winter-freeze-if-atlantic-current-collapses-study-finds\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Source: DTE<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<h3><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Recently, a climate study found that if the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) collapses, Europe could face a dramatic and prolonged winter freeze, even in a world warmed by greenhouse gas emissions.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<h3><strong>About Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC)\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">It is one of the most powerful and complex systems driving Earth\u2019s climate.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">It is often likened to a giant conveyor belt that transports warm surface waters from the tropics northward and returns cold, dense water southward at depth.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">It regulates temperatures across the Atlantic basin and plays a vital role in global climate stability, sea-level patterns, and marine ecosystems.<\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/20-06-2025\/atlantic-meridional-overturning-circulation-amoc-2\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read\u00a0More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-45782","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45782","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45782"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45782\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48252,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45782\/revisions\/48252"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45782"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45782"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45782"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}