Study warns parts of world at risk of deep freeze if ocean currents collapse

LONDON (CNN/CNN Newsource/WKRC) — Parts of the world could face a deep freeze if a crucial network of Atlantic Ocean currents collapses, according to a new study. The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), a system that acts like a giant conveyor belt, is weakening and could potentially collapse this century due to global warming.

The AMOC pulls warm water from the Southern Hemisphere and tropics to the Northern Hemisphere, where it cools, sinks, and flows back south. The study suggests that a collapse of this system would lead to “substantial cooling” over Europe, with sharp drops in average winter temperatures and more intense cold extremes.

In such a scenario, London could experience winter extremes of minus 2.2 degrees Fahrenheit, while Oslo could see temperatures as low as minus 55. However, the study found that in the United States, temperatures would continue to increase even if the AMOC collapses.