Latest news with #CélineHeuzé
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Scientists issue dire warning after making frightening discovery in the Atlantic Ocean: 'Sudden, wide-reaching impacts'
A new study from researchers in Norway, Sweden, Germany, and the U.K. cautions that changes from our overheating planet on a major ocean current could unleash a chain of events that would alter the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation. The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is a powerful ocean current system in the Atlantic that helps to balance our planet's climate, especially in the Northern Hemisphere. Scientists say changes due to our warming world are being detected in another major ocean current located in the Arctic, the Beaufort Gyre, which could cause a series of events that would allow an influx of freshwater into the North Atlantic. "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," said Céline Heuzé, a senior Lecturer in Climatology at the University of Gothenburg and one of the authors of the study, per SciTechDaily. "We find that most models predict that the gyre will shrink in a future warmer climate, in response to changes in the atmosphere," concluded the international team of scientists behind the study, which was published in the JGR Oceans journal and shared by Wiley. "This gyre decline is predicted both under a high-emission scenario and under an intermediate 'middle of the road' emission scenario. The BG region would no longer accumulate freshwater. This could impact future oceanic properties in the Arctic and in the North Atlantic." If melting sea ice crosses a critical tipping point, resulting in the Gyre allowing a large volume of freshwater to flow into the North Atlantic, the AMOC would be at risk of weakening and perhaps collapsing. "Such a collapse would be what scientists call a 'climate tipping point' — an event that would lead to sudden, wide-reaching impacts that are difficult if not impossible to reverse," according to MIT professor of oceanography Raffaele Ferrari. "Changing currents would cause sea levels to rise swiftly in areas like the U.S. East Coast, storms would grow more severe, the rainy and dry seasons in the Amazon may flip, and the ice age pattern of a cooling north and warming south would play out once again." The good news is that a study published in February found that the circulation hasn't declined in the last six decades and that it might be more resilient than once thought. However, most research suggests that if heat-trapping pollution remains high, the slow AMOC process will slow even further in the future, and it is not a matter of if it will collapse, but when. Do you think we should deal with air pollution by burying things underground? Sounds great No way Only for certain waste I'm not sure Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. A significant reduction in the amount of heat-trapping gases being released into Earth's atmosphere could help prevent the collapse of the AMOC. It will take a massive transition from dirty energy sources to renewable options. Making changes to our homes is one way we can all help. Replacing old HVAC systems with a heat pump, installing solar panels, and opting for an induction stove instead of a conventional range are ways to reduce energy bills and reduce harmful carbon pollution. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Study warns the North Pole could experience ice-free conditions within next three years: 'We want to be prepared'
The North Pole is changing at a rapid rate. According to recent research reported by the University of Colorado, Boulder, most of the Arctic's sea ice could melt by 2027. Researchers used computer models to predict the Arctic's first ice-free day in its northernmost ocean. "Ice-free" is defined as less than 1 million square kilometers (about 386,000 square miles) of ice, per the report. They ran over 300 simulations with different scenarios in mind. Based on these, the earliest ice-free day could occur in 2027. The study, which was published in Nature late last year, acknowledged that "predictions of an ice-free Arctic have large uncertainties" and "the highest probability of the earliest ice-free day occurring lies within 7-20 years." A summary of the research published by ScienceDaily said that "sea ice in the Arctic has disappeared at an unprecedented speed of more than 12% each decade." While nothing drastic would happen within those 24 hours, according to the report, it does represent a tipping point — marking the shift away from the Arctic Ocean covered by ice and snow. Since the planet has been steadily warming for decades now, there's seemingly no stopping this change. The only thing that can slow it down is a "drastic cut" in pollution, per the university report. In this report, study co-author Céline Heuzé from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden said: "Because the first ice-free day is likely to happen earlier than the first ice-free month, we want to be prepared." The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says that sea ice's light color causes it to reflect more light into space. This maintains Earth's energy balance and keeps the polar regions cool. If the Arctic loses the majority of its sea ice, the region will rapidly decline, putting several species, like polar bears, at risk. It will (and, to an extent, already has) impact Indigenous people in the Arctic, like the Inuit, in part because many of them have traditionally led a hunting lifestyle. Do you think America has a plastic waste problem? Definitely Only in some areas Not really I'm not sure Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. It will also affect the local ecosystem, restricting food access for walruses and other mammals that rely on the sea ice for hunting. With lower birth rates and less food, species could go extinct. Alexandra Jahn, one of the researchers and a climatologist, said in the university report that "any reductions in emissions" would help slow the sea ice's melting. If you want to do your part in slowing it down, there are a couple of steps you can take to reduce your personal contribution to the planet's warming. You could install solar panels, switching from dirty to clean energy. You could also upgrade to a natural lawn, which helps local pollinators and your neighborhood's ecosystem. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
