Dear MEL Topic Readers,
A crucial system of ocean currents is slowing. It’s already
supercharging sea level rise in the US.
It’s not just melting ice sheets from Antarctica and Greenland that cause
sea level extremes, but storm surges, tides, waves, and the expansion of
seawater itself all affect sea levels. Ocean currents also affect sea levels.
When a current weakens, water becomes less dense and expands. For example, flooding
on the US Northeast coast has risen substantially as the Atlantic Meridional
Overturning Circulation (AMOC) weakens. In addition, weakened AMOC seems to have
affected the flow of the Gulf Stream and caused water to flow back onto the
Northeast coast. According to a new study, up to half of the flooding events
along the northeastern coast in the last two decades were driven by a weaker AMOC,
which could have been interconnected with warming sea temperatures. We now know
better why some coastal regions are experiencing higher sea level rise than
others.
Read the article and learn how ocean currents affect sea level rise.
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