Thermohaline circulation refers to the global system of ocean currents driven by variations in water density, itself controlled by temperature (thermo) and salinity (haline). This “global conveyor ...

(Phys.org)—The Earth's oceanic system isn't just the big, blue puddle of water that globes suggest; its waters are stirred by a vast system called thermohaline circulation, a process driven by varying ...

Thermohaline circulation begins in the Earth's polar regions. When ocean water in these areas gets very cold, sea ice forms. The surrounding seawater gets saltier, increases in density and sinks.

Absent any climate policy, scientists have found a 70 percent chance of shutting down the thermohaline circulation in the North Atlantic Ocean over the next 200 years, with a 45 percent probability of ...

If global warming shuts down the thermohaline circulation in the North Atlantic Ocean, the result could be catastrophic climate change. The environmental effects, models indicate, depend upon whether ...

Researchers predict the system of ocean currents that distributes cold and heat between the North Atlantic and tropics will completely stop if we continue to emit the same levels of greenhouse gases ...

This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American If you look at a map of the world and draw a ...