Is global warming tipping key Atlantic ocean currents towards ‘collapse’?

The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is a vast system of ocean currents that helps to distribute heat around the world.

By transporting warm water from the #tropics northwards and cold water back southwards, the #AMOC keeps #Europe warm and plays a role in controlling global #rainfall.

It connects into an even larger network of #ocean currents that continuously moves #water, #nutrients and #carbon around the world.

Now, the AMOC is under threat from human-caused #ClimateChange, as warming seas, melting ice and increased rainfall upset the temperature and salt balance of the North Atlantic.

https://interactive.carbonbrief.org/amoc-explainer/index.html

22mm in the rain gauge this evening, more in the last 24hrs than for the whole of April.

#Sheffield #Rainfall #Weather

European State of the Climate 2025

Key Messages:
At least 95% of Europe experienced above-average annual temperatures in 2025.
A record three-week #heatwave affected sub-Arctic #Fennoscandia, with temperatures near to and within the Arctic Circle exceeding 30°C.

#Glaciers in all European regions saw a net mass loss, with #Iceland recording its second-largest glacier loss on record; snow cover was 31% below average; the #Greenland Ice Sheet lost 139 gigatonnes (139 billion tonnes) of ice.

The annual sea surface temperature for the European region was the highest on record, and 86% of the region experienced at least ‘strong’ marine heatwaves.

#Wildfires burnt around 1,034,550 hectares, the largest area on record.

#River flows were below average for 11 months of the year across #Europe, with 70% of rivers seeing below-average annual flows.

#Storms and #flooding affected thousands across Europe, though extreme #rainfall and flooding were less widespread than in recent years.

#Renewables supplied nearly half (46.4%) of Europe’s electricity in 2025, with solar power reaching a new contribution record of 12.5%.

#Biodiversity is vital for a sustainable future, but #ClimateChange is a major cause of its degradation. Climate change and biodiversity are strongly connected within European policy and frameworks.

https://climate.copernicus.eu/esotc/2025/press-resources

#ClimateScience
#ClimateCrisis
#Copernicus