Home / Environment / Climate Threat: Key Ocean System May Lose Monitoring
Climate Threat: Key Ocean System May Lose Monitoring
14 Jun
Summary
- Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation regulates global climate.
- Amoc weakening could drastically alter weather and raise sea levels.
- Vital Amoc monitoring is underfunded and at risk of discontinuation.
The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (Amoc), a major ocean current system transporting heat northward, is essential for regulating global climate. Its potential weakening under current climate change scenarios could lead to radical weather shifts and sea level rise in Europe. Understanding and predicting these changes is hampered by insufficient direct measurements and a lack of long-term observations.
Systematic monitoring of the Amoc, initiated only two decades ago, has significantly improved climate models. However, these vital observation efforts are now critically underfunded and at risk of being discontinued, particularly with proposed budget cuts to key US agencies. This precarious situation leaves policymakers and societies unprepared for potential Amoc weakening or collapse.
An international funding strategy is urgently needed to ensure sustained Amoc monitoring. The cost is minimal, approximately €25 million annually for the EU, representing about five cents per person. This investment is crucial for maintaining a robust, continuous, and open-access monitoring program to foster resilience against the climate crisis.
