Fact Check: Did an Ocean Current Reverse?
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
For years, climate experts have been sounding the alarm about the worsening impacts of global warming, and a report made by a European news wire agency over the weekend heightened the concerns in an alarming manner after reporting the first-ever reversal of an ocean current that could have "catastrophic" impacts.
The Claim
On July 5, IntelliNews published a report titled "Southern Ocean current reverses for first time, signaling risk of climate system collapse." The report states that the Deep Western Boundary Current (DWBC), a key component to the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) that circulates water within the Atlantic Ocean, reversed direction for the first time ever, a "catastrophic" event that would accelerate global warming and disrupt global weather patterns.
The alarming report cited a press release from El Institut de Ciències del Mar, a Spanish state research institute, which referenced a recent study published in the peer-reviewed Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) by the University of Southampton.
A stock photo of icebergs in Antarctica, where the Southern Ocean is located.
A stock photo of icebergs in Antarctica, where the Southern Ocean is located.
Oleksandr Matsibura/Getty
The Facts
What is the AMOC?
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) describes the AMOC as a "component of ocean circulation, which constantly moves water, heat, salt, carbon, and nutrients north-south within the ocean basins, and ultimately between the ocean basins and around the globe."
The AMOC brings warm water north and cold water south. In a video about how the currents work, NOAA said that "as the ocean warms, the circulation may slow down, making it less effective at drawing carbon dioxide and especially heat out of the atmosphere."
A reversal of the circulation would certainly be cause for concern. However, the PNAS study does not mention reversing ocean currents or the AMOC.
What the study found
Instead, the study discusses surface salinity of the Southern Ocean. Between the 1980s and 2015, the surface of the polar Southern Ocean was freshening, or growing less salty. The study said this coincided with an expansion of Antarctic sea ice.
New satellite data referenced in the study found a "marked increase in surface salinity" across the Southern Ocean over the past decade, which has "weakened upper-ocean stratification, coinciding with a dramatic decline in Antarctic sea ice coverage."
"Our study found that surface salinity in the Southern Ocean has been increasing while sea ice has declined," the PNAS study's lead author Alessandro Silvano told Newsweek. "This was unexpected, as melting sea ice is generally thought to freshen the ocean surface. The results suggest that our understanding of the Antarctic system—and how it may evolve—is incomplete."
Reports of an erroneous press release
It is unclear if IntelliNet is referencing the June 30 PNAS study, considering it mentions a July 2 study in the report, although it doesn't cite the source.
A report from German news site Table.Briefings said the IntelliNet article was based on an erroneous press release from El Institut de Ciències del Mar about the June 30 study that allegedly included a flawed quote from study co-author Antonio Turiel regarding ocean circulation.
Turiel told Newsweek that the flawed quote was partly a result of mistranslation.
"Our original press note contained some wrong sentences, partly caused by mistranslation, partly caused by a wrong use of words on my side. That's the reason of the correction," he said.
Turiel added that the paper also found evidence that "isopycnals have shoaled, so effectively there is a change in the structure of Southern Ocean."
This doesn't indicate a change in direction for the current, Turial said, but that "it is likely that there is a change in the configuration of the currents."
A spokesperson with El Institut de Ciències del Mar told Newsweek that the press release has been updated, and Turiel's quote was corrected.
However, the IntelliNews report still claims the current has been reversed. Silvano told Newsweek the story has "several issues."
"We do not talk about DWBC in our recently published work. The AMOC is not collapsing this year," Silvano said.
"There have been issues over the social media and press," he added.
The Ruling
False.
The recent PNAS study does not claim the DWBC is collapsing, as reported by IntelliNews.
However, the study's findings are still concerning.
"If this salinity increase continues, it could enhance vertical mixing, drawing heat from deeper ocean layers to the surface and further accelerating sea ice melt," Silvano told Newsweek. "This suggests the potential for a self-sustaining feedback loop, where reduced sea ice cover perpetuates further loss. Diminished sea ice coverage can have important consequences, including ocean warming, increased iceberg formation, and threats to marine wildlife."
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