Gulf Stream: a cautionary tale
Updated on 16 August 2007
Stunning new insights on how the Gulf Stream works and what global warming may be doing to it.
Most of us have heard about the importance of the Gulf Stream to Britain's climate and how the mild water it brings here from the Caribbean keeps us warmer than we would be otherwise.
But as global warming took hold, scientists rang alarm bells when they said a couple of years ago there was evidence the Gulf Stream was slowing down dramatically, which would have a dramatic and immediate effect on our climate.
What is the Gulf Stream?
The Gulf Stream carries warm water from the Caribbean and keeps the UK warm. It is the equivalent of one million power stations.
Cold water sinks and circles back in the deeps of the ocean - without the Gulf Stream, we would have climate like Newfoundland in northernmost Canada.
Research in question
Research published two years ago by the same scientists from the National Oceanography Centre Southampton looked at past data taken from ships at different times and places, which suggested the Gulf Stream had slowed by some 30 per cent.
Now, according to new research published today, it turns out they're not so sure.
A cautionary tale
Slowdown is certainly possible. We know how it might happen, but we're less certain now if it is happening.
Scientists have laid out a string of buoys carrying scientific instruments across Atlantic from Bahamas to North Africa which will be in the water until 2014.
It will need 10 years of data to see what happens year-on-year to get a real handle on whether it is slowing down.
However, it is a cautionary tale, especially for those who extrapolate from scientific results to make more apocalyptic forecasts of the effects of climate change.
