The Gulf Stream Myth

[Joshpantera]

http://ocp.ldeo.columbia.edu/res/div/ocp/gs/

 

Quote

Climate mythology: The Gulf Stream, European climate and Abrupt Change Richard Seager Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University

Richard Seager's presentation to the New York Academy of Sciences:
The Gulf Stream, European Climate and Abrupt Climate Change 

 

A few times a year the British media of all stripes goes into a tizzy of panic when one climate scientist or another states that there is a possibility that the North Atlantic ocean circulation, of which the Gulf Stream is a major part, will slow down in coming years or even stop. Whether the scientists statements are measured or inflammatory the media invariably warns that this will plunge Britain and Europe into a new ice age, pictures of the icy shores of Labrador are shown, created film of English Channel ferries making their way through sea ice are broadcast... And so the circus continues year after year. Here is one example.   The Gulf Stream-European climate myth The panic is based on a long held belief of the British, other Europeans, Americans and, indeed, much of the world's population that the northward heat transport by the Gulf Stream is the reason why western Europe enjoys a mild climate, much milder than, say, that of eastern North America. This idea was actually originated by an American military man, Matthew Fontaine Maury, in the mid nineteenth century and has stuck since despite the absence of proof.   We now know this is a myth, the climatological equivalent of an urban legend. In a detailed study published in the Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society in 2002, we demonstrated the limited role that ocean heat transport plays in determining regional climates around the Atlantic Ocean. Popular versions of this story can be found here, here and, in French, here.   (Major snippage due in part to potential Copyright violations by re-posting entire article    kevinL)

[pantheory]

Gulf stream warming is an important theory with a great many facts and studies to support it.

 

https://www.weatheronline.co.uk/reports/wxfacts/North-Atlantic-Drift-Gulf-Stream.htm

http://www.bbc.co.uk/climate/impact/gulf_stream.shtml

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/270652051_The_Role_of_the_Gulf_Stream_in_European_Climate

 

There are arguments proposing the lesser importance of Gulf Stream currents in moderating colder climates.

 

https://www.atmos.washington.edu/~david/Gulf.pdf

 

The possibility that the currents of the Gulf stream will slow down in the coming years to chill-out western Europe,  is a hypothesis that is not well-supported by most mainstream meteorologists.

 

[Joshpantera]

Those unsupported claims are the subject matter of, "The Day After Tomorrow," science fiction, fantasy, and hype.

 

 

[LogicalFallacy]

What happens if the gulf stream warms instead of cools?

[pantheory]

On 4/25/2018 at 2:19 AM, LogicalFallacy said:

What happens if the gulf stream warms instead of cools?

 

It is not a matter of the gulf stream warming or cooling; it is a matter of its movement north. If there would be little or no gulf stream movement or current within the ocean then there would be little or no gulf stream. But lets consider if the gulf stream were to become warmer or moved faster. Then it seems likely that the north Atlantic would become warmer along with the European countries that border on it. Also, the Arctic melting of ice would likely increase along with a rise in sea levels around the world.  If the gulf stream would either slow down or cool, for whatever reason, then the opposite could happen according to gulf stream theory.