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  • BBC Science Focus Magazine

    The Atlantic Ocean’s currents are slowing down. What could this mean for the UK climate?

    Sep 08, 2021 5 minutes

    PROF PENNY HOLLIDAY Oceanographer

    “The ocean has this capacity for storing heat. This movement of heat around the globe keeps our climate nice for us to live in”

    STUDIES HAVE FOUND THAT THE ATLANTIC MERIDIONAL OVERTURNING CIRCULATION (AMOC) IS SLOWING DOWN. WHAT EXACTLY IS THE AMOC ?

    Put simply, it is large-scale ocean currents in the upper 1,000 metres of the Atlantic. The currents transport warm, salty water northwards throughout the Atlantic. When the water reaches the subpolar North Atlantic, the water gets cold, becomes dense and it sinks down to below 1,000 metres and it flows back southwards.

    You can think of it as a global conveyor belt, like the ones you see in the supermarket.

    WHAT INFLUENCE DOES THIS CONVEYOR BELT SYSTEM HAVE?

    It’s all about heat, it’s like a giant radiator system, if you

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