Gulf stream weakening?
31/10/2006 Realclimate.org critique of Guadrian report of weakening Gulf streem. RAPID Climate Change conference in Birmingham (UK) … theme was observations, modelling and paleo-climate related to the Thermohaline and Meridional overturning circulation (MOC) in the North Atlantic. Measurements taken …as moorings were first installed were highlighted in the Bryden et al paper last year …and that publication, suggested that a long term decrease in the MOC was underway. A number of records that had seemed to be trending strongly when first looked at, now seem to be simply more variable than first thought. The minimum values appeared to be during a 10 day interval in November 2004 when the inferred deep western boundary current appeared to be very weak indeed. But then it came back. Now, recall that we have never seen this quality of data before and explanations for the variability (deep eddies? waves?) are not yet available. Thus, no-one has any clue whether this is normal or unusual – right now it’s simply an interesting phenomenon.