Warning of the risk of collapse of the Atlantic Ocean current, threatening the future of the Earth

Once the Atlantic Ocean's reverse current collapses, sea levels will rise globally, rainfall patterns will change and many marine ecosystems will be destroyed.

The Atlantic Overturning Current (AMOC) — a complex system of ocean currents, including the Gulf Stream , which transports heat, nutrients and oxygen across the North Atlantic — is facing a collapse that could have dire consequences for the planet.

A visual from space of the Gulf Stream as it moves through the North Atlantic Ocean - (Photo: NASA).

This is the warning issued by a group of scientists in an open letter to the Nordic Council, which is meeting in the capital Reykjavik (Iceland) on October 28 and 29.

In an open letter, scientists warn that underestimating the risk of an AMOC collapse could have catastrophic consequences for northern European countries, including harsh winters, extreme weather and famine.

Globally, sea levels will rise, rainfall patterns will change and many marine ecosystems will be destroyed. As a result, scientists want Nordic leaders to take note of the 'serious risk of major changes in the Atlantic Ocean circulation'.

According to scientists, the main cause of the risk of AMOC collapse is climate change caused by human activities . The warming of the Earth's climate disrupts ocean currents and weakens AMOC.

Scientists have issued many warnings about the risk of AMOC collapse and recent studies have further confirmed the urgency of the problem, but so far there is no unified forecast about when this will happen.

The sixth assessment report of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said that AMOC will not collapse abruptly before 2100. However, in an open letter, scientists said new research shows that the risk of AMOC collapse has been "greatly underestimated" and that it could happen within the next few decades.