00:04Underneath the surface of the ocean, there are some important things happening that most
00:08human eyes never see.
00:09The Atlantic meridional overturning circulation is a system of ocean currents, ones that
00:14move warm salty water northward.
00:16That water cools as it moves and becomes more dense, forcing it towards the bottom of the
00:20ocean, thus cycling other water up towards the surface.
00:23It's a crucial oceanic process, and now scientists say that they have more evidence that the
00:28whole thing is breaking down.
00:30The main problem lies with global warming, with polar regions and glaciers melting at
00:34unprecedented rates.
00:35This is causing an influx of fresh water into our planet's salty oceans, which then messes
00:40with the process of that cold salty water sinking to the bottom of the ocean and cycling water
00:45around.
00:45Experts say we're near what they call a tipping point, or when the slowdown of the currents
00:50at the southernmost areas of the Atlantic will become stagnated to a critical point.
00:54That becomes a problem because the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation doesn't
00:59just affect the ocean, it regulates climates globally.
01:01This will change seasonal monsoons and temperatures all over the planet, forcing a chain reaction
01:07on such a drastic scale, its effects on ecosystems cannot even be predicted.
