TITLE:
Freezing future. There's now alarming evidence that Europe is facing an ice age.

AUTHOR:
Edwards R.

SOURCE:
NEW SCIENTIST. 1999 Nov 27;164(2214):6.

ABSTRACT:
The ocean currents that give Europe its mild climate are changing. There is evidence that global warming may cause a big freeze by switching off a current called the North Atlantic Drift. Several teams have found signs that the current, which brings warm water to northwest Europe from the Gulf Stream, is being disrupted by a growing amount of freshwater entering the Arctic Ocean. This increase is a result of changes attributed to global warming such as melting ice, increased rainfall, and changing wind patterns. A computer model developed by Stefan Rahmstorf and his colleagues suggests that global warming could turn off the North Atlantic Drift, causing temperatures in northwest Europe to drop by 5 degrees Celsius or more. Although there is no evidence that this is really happening, Bill Turrell has found evidence that fits in with this prediction. Turrell found that in each of the past 2 decades the salinity of the deep water flowing south has dropped by 0.01 g of salt per kg of seawater. Hence, it is noted that its density has probably also decreased by 0.01 kg per cu. m per decade. These findings are supported by other researchers.

YEAR:
1999

PIP#:
150352