Scientists come up with method to stop the Gulf Stream collapsing

"Melting the West Antarctic Ice Sheet could save the Gulf Stream, a remarkable new study reveals. The vast icy mass in the southern hemisphere contains around 750,000 cubic miles of ice - enough to fill Wembley Stadium nearly three billion times. As it melts, the West Antarctic Ice Sheet sends salty water towards the North Atlantic, which helps the water stay dense enough to keep the crucial ocean current moving, the study authors reveal."

"The findings suggest we may have to choose between saving the Gulf Stream (which would stop Europe from entering a deep freeze) and saving the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (which would prevent global flooding). According to study author Dr Sacha Sinet, climate scientist at Utrecht University, which terrifying scenario is worse is 'hard to tell'. Ultimately, reducing greenhouse gas emissions might be the only way to save both the Gulf Stream and the ice sheet - and avoid both eventualities."

"The Gulf Stream is only a small part of a much wider system of currents, officially called the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation or AMOC. A 'conveyor belt of the ocean', AMOC moves warm water near the ocean's surface northwards - from the tropics to the northern hemisphere. When the warm water reaches the North Atlantic (Europe and the UK, and the US east coast), it releases the heat and then freezes. As this ice forms, salt is left behind in the ocean water."

Melting the West Antarctic Ice Sheet could help sustain the Gulf Stream by sending salty, dense water to the North Atlantic and supporting the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). The West Antarctic Ice Sheet contains roughly 750,000 cubic miles of ice. Complete melting would raise global sea levels by up to about 14 feet (4.3 metres), causing flooding, fatalities, and major infrastructure damage. The situation presents a tradeoff between preserving the ocean current that warms parts of the northern hemisphere and preventing catastrophic sea level rise. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is the only clear path to avoid both outcomes.

Read at Mail Online