(Press-News.org) One of the ocean currents in the Arctic Ocean is at risk of disappearing this century because of climate change, according to a new joint study from the University of Gothenburg and the German Alfred Wegener Institute. As a result, the North Atlantic could be flooded with freshwater which would weaken the global ocean circulation.
The weakening of the AMOC, Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, is a hot topic among the world's climate scientists. However, it is unclear what the consequences will be when the ocean currents change and when a tipping point is reached. Researcher Céline Heuzé from the University of Gothenburg, together with colleagues Marylou Athanase and Raphael Köhler from Germany, has studied the future of one of the major ocean currents in the Beaufort Sea, located in the Arctic Ocean, north of the Alaskan and Canadian coasts.
This current is the Beaufort Gyre and it is an important feature of the Arctic Ocean. By storing or releasing freshwater, it influences the oceanic properties both within the Arctic and as far away as the North Atlantic.
Due to warmer temperatures in the Arctic, the Beaufort Gyre is currently losing large amounts of sea ice. The ice helps keeping the ocean cool, acting as a lid. Thinner sea ice allows more heat from the atmosphere to pass through, raising sea temperatures further and causing even more sea ice to disappear. Previous research shows that the freshwater content of the Beaufort Sea has increased by 40 percent over the last two decades.
Concerns about sea ice 'tipping point'
“The results of this study make us concerned that the reduction of sea ice in the area could lead to a tipping point where the AMOC collapses,” says Céline Heuzé, Senior Lecturer in Climatology at the University of Gothenburg and an expert on deep ocean and sea ice.
In the study, the researchers made projections using only the global climate models that can accurately represent the Beaufort Gyre. A climate model is a computer simulation of the Earth's climate system – atmosphere, ocean, land and ice. Climate models are used to reconstruct the past climate or predict the future climate.
“If greenhouse gas emissions are not reduced urgently, this projection suggests that the Beaufort Gyre will weaken and release the freshwater that it currently holds. This freshwater could then reach the North Atlantic and possibly negatively impact the AMOC,” says Marylou Athanase, researcher at Alfred Wegener Institute, Germany, and first author of the study.
The AMOC, of which the Gulf Stream is a part, is of great importance for the climate in Scandinavia as it transports warm water to high latitudes in the northern hemisphere. How the link between reduced Arctic sea ice and a weakening of the AMOC may develop in the future is something the researchers now want to study more closely.
Fact box: The Gulf Stream and the AMOC
The ocean circulation in the Atlantic that many climate scientists focus on is called the AMOC – Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation. It is a large system of ocean currents in the Atlantic, of which the Gulf Stream is a part. The AMOC system is driven by differences in density between different water masses so that warm water from more southerly latitudes moves north along the ocean surface where it cools, sinks and moves south again into the deep ocean. (Wikipedia)
Fact box: Tipping points
In climate science, a tipping point is a critical threshold that, when crossed, leads to large, accelerating and often irreversible changes in the climate system. (Wikipedia)
END
Thinner Arctic sea ice may affect the AMOC
2025-03-31
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
How dreams, novelty, and emotions can shape memories: lessons from smartphone studies
2025-03-31
BOSTON - March 31, 2025 - A memory is not a straight line from one point to another, even if we sometimes think of them like linear stories. This key insight that cognitive neuroscientists have known for many years is now guiding a new type of research—to explore not only how memories evolve over time but also how they can be strengthened or changed. Assisting researchers with this new exploration is a powerful tool: smartphones.
“Smartphones are an incredible tool for understanding patterns of feelings, behavior, ...
Leveraging Preexisting Cardiovascular Data to Improve the Detection and Treatment of Hypertension
2025-03-31
About The Study: In the NOTIFY-LVH randomized clinical trial, a centralized population health coordinator–led notification and clinical support pathway for individuals with left ventricular hypertrophy on prior echocardiograms increased the initial treatment of hypertension. This work highlights the potential benefit of leveraging preexisting but potentially underutilized cardiovascular data to improve health care delivery through mechanisms augmenting the traditional ambulatory care system.
Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Jason H. Wasfy, MD, MPhil, email jwasfy@mgh.harvard.edu.
To access the embargoed study: Visit ...
Study highlights barriers to including non-English speakers in research
2025-03-31
Health researchers omit including speakers of languages other than English (LOE) in their studies due to lack of training, challenges securing interpreter services, budget constraints and other barriers, according to a new JAMA Network Open study.
“Non-English-speaking individuals are being excluded from research, and we wanted to understand why,” said senior author Maya Ragavan, M.D., M.P.H., M.S., associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Pittsburgh. “Ensuring that everyone can participate in research, regardless of the languages that they speak, helps ensure that the findings are representative of the entire community, ...
Queen Mary launches new regenerative medicine spinout to repair joint damage and prevent arthritis
2025-03-31
The method is substantially cheaper and easier to administer than even the best of today’s approaches – making it significantly more viable for healthcare providers.
The invention paves the way for a future restorative treatment for osteoarthritis.
Scientists at Queen Mary University of London have invented a new way to repair osteochondral defects – a common form of joint damage often caused by sports injuries or trauma – and to prevent progression to osteoarthritis.
The treatment uses Agrin, the protein which builds and maintains the link between our motor neurons and muscle fibres. A small soluble polypeptide ...
Make these scientific sessions part of your media coverage
2025-03-31
New York, NY – March 31, 2025 – Register now for a complimentary media pass for the ATS 2025 International Conference in San Francisco. We will have breaking news from the leading international conference for pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine.
See what scientific sessions we have planned:
Allergy/Immunology
Critical Care
Cellular/Molecular Biology
Bronchiectasis and COPD
Health Equity/Health Disparities
ILD
Pediatrics
Sleep
All registered media will receive a press release one week prior to the conference with ...
Common anticancer drugs may offer new hope to PTEN Hamartoma Tumour Syndrome patients
2025-03-31
During development, cells grow, expand, and migrate to generate tissues and organs in a highly controlled manner. Many intracellular pathways – series of signalling cascades within a cell – regulate these actions to avoid non-programmed growth that could lead to malformations or cancer. One of these pathways is the PTEN / PI3K axis, a complex series of perfectly balanced chemical reactions.
Mutations in the PTEN gene usually result in the overactivation of PI3K and the imbalance of the system. This may trigger the onset of different types ...
Boehringer Ingelheim and Lieber Institute for Brain Development advance development of COMT inhibitors to treat cognitive impairment in neuropsychiatric disorders
2025-03-31
Baltimore, Maryland (March 31, 2025) — The Lieber Institute for Brain Development, a nonprofit research institution dedicated to treating and preventing developmental brain disorders, today announced the progression toward clinical testing of a unique, centrally acting catechol Omethyltransferase (COMT) inhibitor from its collaboration with Boehringer Ingelheim.
COMT is a dopamine-metabolizing enzyme involved in the regulation of neurotransmitter levels. These are critical for cognitive and behavioral processes that are impaired in several neuropsychiatric disorders. While peripherally ...
WSU researchers develop machine learning model to predict virus reservoirs
2025-03-31
PULLMAN, Wash. — A new artificial intelligence tool could aid in limiting or even prevent pandemics by identifying animal species that may harbor and spread viruses capable of infecting humans.
Created by Washington State University researchers, the machine learning model analyzes host characteristics and virus genetics to identify potential animal reservoirs and geographic areas where new outbreaks are more likely to occur. The model focuses on orthopoxviruses — which includes the viruses that cause smallpox and mpox.
The researchers recently published a study on their work using the model ...
Do authoritarian narratives shape Japanese public opinion?
2025-03-31
An authoritarian regime is a type of government system where power is restricted in the hands of a single leader or a group, limiting the participation of citizens in decision-making. As authoritarian states like China and Russia intensify their global information campaigns, a new study highlights Japan’s vulnerability to illiberal narratives. This research, led by Professor Tetsuro Kobayashi of Waseda University, Research Associate Yuan Zhou of Kobe University, Ph.D. student Lungta Seki of Koç University, and Professor Asako Miura of Osaka University, was published online on March 12, ...
New plesiosaur discovery sheds light on early Jurassic evolution and plausible endemism
2025-03-31
A nearly complete specimen of Plesiopterys wildi from Germany provides fresh insights into plesiosaur diversity and regional specialisation
A newly described plesiosaur fossil from southern Germany is providing crucial evidence about the diversification of these ancient marine reptiles during the Early Jurassic. Published in PeerJ Life and Environment, the study details the discovery and analysis of an exceptionally well-preserved Plesiopterys wildi specimen, which offers new clues about the evolution and geographic distribution of plesiosaurs in Europe nearly 180 million years ago.
Unearthed ...