PBS Terra asks 'Is Earth's Largest Heat Transfer Really Shutting Down?'

I'm finished grading, but I still have time today for only a short post because the power went out for nearly twelve hours because of storms I suspect are the remnants of Hurricane Hilary, which hit California, Arizona, and Nevada as a tropical storm earlier this week — once again, everything is connected to everything else, one of Commoner's Laws — and an errand I'm running this afternoon. Therefore, I'm sharing PBS Terra asking Is Earth's Largest Heat Transfer Really Shutting Down?

With unprecedented heat waves and record-breaking global temperatures, it’s hard to believe that there might be a place on earth that has actually COOLED since the industrial revolution. But, it turns out, there is such a spot. The COLD BLOB off of Greenland mystified scientists for years, but new studies have uncovered a scary reality - this cool patch might be a warning of the impending collapse of a vital earth circulation system. And the consequences would be dire.

In this episode of Weathered, we travel to the Gulf Stream with the new PBS Terra show Sharks Unknown to experience the AMOC first hand. And we ask, what is the likelihood that the AMOC will collapse, and what would the consequences be?

This is not a new concern, as Al Gore described it in "An Inconvenient Truth." I asked about it specifically in the worksheet I used in one of my classes, which I reproduced in Hot (not): a cold blast from the past along with an answer.

What is the likely effect of the melting of the Greenland ice cap on ocean circulation and global climate?

In the movie, the idea is that the release of meltwater from a large glacial lake diluted the Gulf Stream, causing the water to become less dense and unable to sink to the bottom of the ocean off Greenland, jamming up the global thermohaline circulation and sending the planet back into an ice age for another thousand years. An analogous melt of water from the Greenland icecap, which is beginning to happen, would do much the same thing, slowing ocean circulation and cooling Europe. Both of those are indeed taking place.

The movie came out seventeen years ago and I wrote the above more than ten years ago. It's not as if we weren't warned.

Speaking of which, PBS Terra listed the Greenland ice sheet and the AMOC (Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation) last September in PBS Terra asks 'What Will Earth Look Like When These 6 Tipping Points Hit?' I'm reusing my reaction from that post as well.

Watching all that reminds me that none of these threats are new, so my reaction isn't either.

First, welcome to the 400 ppm world. Second, are you scared enough by climate change? My readers should be.

Hey, I'm an environmentalist; I recycle.

I'll see if I can resume my awards show coverage tomorrow or if it's easier to stick to reality. Stay tuned to find out.

Even that outro works for today.