Scientists Say Gulf Stream May Be Near Collapse, Here’s Why That’s Dire for the Planet

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00:00Scientists say Gulf Stream may be near collapse.

00:03Here's why that's dire for the planet.

00:05The Gulf Stream is a giant river of warm water that runs through the Atlantic

00:09and has quietly kept the world stable for centuries.

00:12A collapse could change weather patterns, raise sea levels, and throw ecosystems into chaos.

00:18What the Gulf Stream actually does.

00:21It's part of a complex circulation system that carries heat from the equator

00:25all the way to the icy waters near Greenland.

00:28Think of it like Earth's heating system.

00:31Eventually, the system that drives the Atlantic circulation could just stall.

00:36Signs that the system is changing.

00:38In 2023, researchers Peter and Suzanne Ditlefsson from the University of Copenhagen

00:44published a study suggesting that the Gulf Stream system may reach a critical tipping point around 2057.

00:51Scientists still don't all agree.

00:53Using ocean heat data rather than surface temperatures,

00:56they found no clear slowdown between 1963 and 2017.

01:01How likely is a collapse?

01:03A 2024 study led by Emma Smulders and Hank Diekstra estimated there's roughly a 59% chance

01:10the Atlantic overturning circulation could collapse before 2050.

01:15The domino effect around the world.

01:17The North Atlantic's cooling would disrupt the jet stream, which steers storms and weather patterns.

01:22Greenland's melting ice makes things worse.

01:25The island is melting faster than anyone predicted,

01:28and each year it sends around 270 billion tons of fresh water into the North Atlantic.

01:34That fresh water messes with the ocean's salt balance,

01:37making the surface lighter and less able to sink.

01:40The human side of a global problem.

01:43Billions rely on the stability of the ocean circulation system for their food, homes and security.

01:48Billions rely on the shore, homes and security.