North Atlantic Circulation Pump

[LadyPakal]

'One of the "pumps" contributing to the ocean's global circulation suddenly switched on again last winter for the first time this decade, scientists reported Tuesday (Dec. 23) in Nature Geoscience. The finding surprised scientists, who had been wondering if global warming was inhibiting the pump-which, in turn, would cause other far-reaching climate changes. '

http://media-newswire.com/release_1083196.html

I though it was slowing, not stopped...?

The plot thickens - it seems the record melt helped restart it.

'The scientists noted “that the increased liquid and frozen freshwater flux into the Labrador Sea was probably tied to the large export of sea ice from the Arctic Ocean that contributed to the record minimum in sea-ice extent observed in the summer of 2007. Ironically, this disappearance of Arctic sea ice, which has been linked to global warming, may have helped trigger the return of deep wintertime [water sinking] to the North Atlantic.'

Edited January 7, 2009 by LadyPakal

[Chris Knight]

'One of the "pumps" contributing to the ocean's global circulation suddenly switched on again last winter for the first time this decade, scientists reported Tuesday (Dec. 23) in Nature Geoscience. The finding surprised scientists, who had been wondering if global warming was inhibiting the pump-which, in turn, would cause other far-reaching climate changes. '

http://media-newswire.com/release_1083196.html

I though it was slowing, not stopped...?

The plot thickens - it seems the record melt helped restart it.

'The scientists noted “that the increased liquid and frozen freshwater flux into the Labrador Sea was probably tied to the large export of sea ice from the Arctic Ocean that contributed to the record minimum in sea-ice extent observed in the summer of 2007. Ironically, this disappearance of Arctic sea ice, which has been linked to global warming, may have helped trigger the return of deep wintertime [water sinking] to the North Atlantic.'

In terms of energy lost to space, the El Nino of 1997-1998, and the Arctic sea-ice loss of 2007 and 2008 represent the greatest cooling phenomena over the last ten or eleven years. The global temperature record shows this. Will it continue, and with what effects?

[Gray-Wolf]

As I have often said nature loathes imbalance and so the re-intensification of cold water subduction can only serve to increase the overall transport of warm waters to the arctic (and the knock on effects in northwest Europe) to attempt to 'balance out' differences.

I remember the reports of the loss of the sinking (and the slowing of the Atlantic conveyor) so you must imagine that it's working the other way means the opposite of the tales of woe regarding NW Europe and cooling. The end of the last ice age was always (IMHO) a poor example of the shutdown scenario due to the volumes of meltwater and the occurrence of huge flooding events (the melting of the N.American sheet) which cannot occur today.

Is this to prove to be the 'warm water event' that NSIDC are afraid of as it will finish off summer ice? Time alone will tell.

Edited January 8, 2009 by Gray-Wolf