UW News
David Bonan
May 30, 2025
Atlantic Ocean current expected to undergo limited weakening with climate change, study finds
The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, or AMOC, is a system of ocean currents that plays a crucial role in regulating Earth’s climate by transporting heat from the Southern to Northern Hemisphere. Climate models have long predicted that global warming will cause the AMOC to weaken, with some projecting what amounts to a near-collapse relative to the AMOC strength in observations today. But a new study from a team of researchers that included the University of Washington shows that the AMOC is likely to weaken to a much lesser extent than current projections suggest.
