It plays a crucial role in the climate system, helping regulate global weather patterns. It transports warm water from the tropics toward the North Atlantic, where the water cools, becomes saltier and sinks deep into the ocean, before spreading southwards.

The AMOC is a complex tangle of currents that works like a giant global conveyor belt. But they agreed these results are alarming and provide new evidence that the tipping point could occur sooner than previously thought. Scientists uninvolved with this study told CNN the exact tipping point for the critical system is uncertain, and that measurements of the currents have so far showed little trend or change. Global heat in 'uncharted territory' as scientists warn 2023 could be the hottest year on recordĪ new study published Tuesday in the journal Nature, found that the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Current – of which the Gulf Stream is a part – could collapse around the middle of the century, or even as early as 2025. The unofficial heat records come after months of unusually hot conditions due to climate change and a strong El Nino event. The entire planet sweltered for the two unofficial hottest days in human recordkeeping Monday and Tuesday, according to University of Maine scientists at the Climate Reanalyzer project. Visitors wear sun hats and carry umbrellas as they leave the Forbidden City on a hot day in Beijing, Thursday, June 29, 2023.

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