One of the ocean’s most important circulatory currents is slowing down, spelling disaster for the rest of the climate.

The Gulf Stream, also known as the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), is one of the largest ocean currents in the world and is responsible for maintaining the temperature of the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific oceans. This crucial circulatory thermal current is cooling and slowing down due to human contributions to global warming. 

The deterioration of this current could cause widespread and irreparable damage to the ecosystem of the entire planet. Its projected “tipping point,” from which it will continue to deteriorate, is the year 2100. Levke Caesar, a climatologist at Maynooth University in Ireland, has said that, “If the Gulf Stream crosses its tipping point, it will continue to weaken even if we have managed to stop global warming. Afterward, it will slow down by a lot, coming close to a complete shutdown of the circulation.”

The effects of the Gulf Stream’s decay could be disastrous. Sea levels could rise on the East Coast of North America, heatwaves could become more prevalent, and winters could become colder. Hurricanes could become stronger and the ecosystems for marine life all along the Stream could be destroyed.

The stakes could not be higher. Described as the “Achilles’ heel” of the environment, the slowing of the gulf stream could be a grim milestone for global warming, one from which it will be hard to come back.