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Study: Climate change is pushing giant ocean currents poleward

Wave by Emiliano Arano
Wave by Emiliano Arano

by Bob Berwyn, Inside Climate News


Highlights:

Wind-driven ocean currents are moving towards the poles, causing impacts such as sea-level rise and storms.

  • The shift in poles will affect sea-level rise on the East Coast of the US and disrupt salmon fishing waters on the West Coast
  • Gyres, which are large systems of ocean currents, are also changing along with the smaller currents and will impact ocean life and coastal cities
  • Changes in gyres will cause intense heatwaves in the subtropics and impact fishing in the Pacific Ocean
  • The changes in ocean currents are part of natural fluctuations but some can be attributed to climate change
  • As long as global temperatures increase, the movement of the currents are not likely to stop

With 9 of 15 global tipping points now active, what we do today can either unleash an inhospitable hothouse Earth or secure a safe climate well into the future. As the science and climate reality demand, our only hope for a vibrant, healthy, and equitable future for all is to enact bold climate policies now, not decades from now.


Read more: https://insideclimatenews.org/news/26022020/climate-oceans-weather-fishing-gyres-gulf-stream-sea%20level