Florida Current at its weakest in the past 110 years

Florida Current at its weakest in the past 110 years

New research by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) found that a key component of the Gulf Stream– a warm Atlantic ocean current stretching to the tip of Florida– has steadily slowed and is now weaker than at any other point in the past 110 years. The…

Icebergs drifted to Florida during last ice age

Icebergs drifted to Florida during last ice age

Using a first-of-its-kind, high-resolution numerical model to describe ocean circulation during the last ice age about 21 000 years ago, oceanographer Alan Condron of the University of Massachusetts Amherst has shown that icebergs and meltwater from the North American i

Atlantic heat source for Hurricane Irene

Atlantic heat source for Hurricane Irene

As Hurricane Irene rumbles through the Atlantic Ocean, it needs fuel to sustain itself. Warm water is the main fuel, and there is plenty of it right now, as there usually is this time of year. The map above shows sea surface temperatures (SST) in the Atlantic…

Hurricanes most vulnerable US cities

Hurricanes most vulnerable US cities

When Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and other areas of the Gulf Coast five years ago this week, becoming the most economically destructive storm in history, it highlighted our vulnerability to the forces of Mother Nature.Today a number of U.S. cities

Arctic Ocean freshwater will cause ‘unpredictable changes on climate’

Arctic Ocean freshwater will cause ‘unpredictable changes on climate’

A vast expanse of freshwater in the midst of the Arctic Ocean is set to wreak unpredictable changes on the climate in Europe and North America, new scientific analysis has shown.The water – comprising meltwater from the ice cap and run off from rivers – is at

Will the Gulf Stream slow down?

Will the Gulf Stream slow down?

The Gulf Stream and North Atlantic Drift – which are part of the Atlantic thermohaline circulation – bring warm water, and with it warm air, from the tropical Atlantic to northern Europe. This helps keep Europe several degrees warmer than it would otherwise