We have learned about the importance of the ocean currents in terms of a global heat engine. In recent years, much research has focused on how global warming may alter the ocean’s currents and thus further alter the global climate. Even Hollywood has made millions off the idea with The Day After Tomorrow!
Your task is to read this article AND this one carefully. Next, write a minimum 2 paragraph COMMENT in complete sentences with correct spelling and grammar, that answers the following:
- Summarize what the articles were about and how they compare & contrast.
- What do YOU think about what was discussed and explain why. SUPPORT your argument with specific examples or facts from the articles or other sources.
16 Responses to “Global Climate Change & Ocean Current Changes”
The articles were based on the studies of global warming. Most scientists believe that the global freshwater runoff will rise as time goes on and it will flow into and mix with seawater. That will affect North Atlantic oceans flow. An estimate by scientists determined that it would take about a century for the circulation patter to be affected from the increase of freshwater runoff. And global climates are thought to increase about four to eleven degrees by the end of this century.
I think that Global warming is just a fake obsession set by scientist and others who believe in an alternate way for the world to end. I mean in some places climates are rising and more fresh water is running, but I don’t believe it is enough to flood the world or create another ice age. Not anytime soon at least.
The National Geographic article is about the Gulf Stream Current, they explain how it acts as a conveyor belt and circulates heat. They also talk about how the fresh water run off will go to the surface and potentially affect the currents. The world science article is about how the scientists predict the earth will not suddenly go into an ice age, it will be a gradual process. These articles were very interesting. I think they are right from the information they wrote in the articles. Because it makes scene that the fresh water will stay on top of the water and the salt will sink there for messing up the currents. And this will cause global warming.
The 1st article is about a current that transports warm waters toward the poles and cold, deep waters toward the equator. They said it was like a conveyor belt. They also sad that excessive amounts of freshwater dumped into the north Atlantic could alter seawater density and, in time, affect the flow of the North Atlantic Ocean current. They said it would take about a century to seriously affect it, And about 2 centuries to halt it completely.
I think they discussed global warming to warn us, and to scare us a little bit, just so we don’t litter s much. It’s a serious issue but it won’t happen in my lifetime probably. They said freshwater runoff has increased in the recent decades and that it will increase in future years. That’s kind of interesting to learn about.
The 2nd article is about findings of a major new study is consistent with gradual changes of current systems in the North Atlantic Ocean.
They said that it would probably trigger rapid climate changes in Europe and other places as well. It might cause dramatic atmospheric temperature and ocean circulation changes in as soon as 50 years.
They talk about global warming and how it’s rapidly getting more dangerous. It’s kind of scary, but global warming won’t destroy the earth in my lifetime I don’t think so I don’t really care about it. They said it would increase four to 11 degrees by the end of this century.
I believe that the first article is a little more informing then the second… The second repeats itself where as the first one gets straight to the point that the run off from the north atlantic ocean is going to cause a problem here on the global conveyor belt where it will cause a circulation problem.
The second article focuses more on the climate changes in Europe and elsewhere; another thing is that the second article talks about how ocean climate change ad circulation change will be in effect here in the next 50 years as to what it says in the other article of about 2 centuries worth of run off from the atlantic ocean.
The articles were about how global warming affects the main ocean currents. The first article was about how the fresh water runoff in the ocean is causing the temp in the surface water to rise. This is where a lot of heat is generated in Europe and East coast North America. The second article is about the gradual change in the oceans currents. They also speak a lot of the history of this in the world.
In my view the first article was very true and was something to think about. I think it is scary and does make sense that when the glaciers melt, freshwater goes into he ocean, causing warm water to rise to the surface heating the air more. It may not affect is right away, but it is still something to think about.
The National Geographic News and World Science articles discuss how the North Atlantic conveyor belt will change in the future. Roach’s article for National Geographic explains how the conveyor belt works and how it will be affected over time by the influx of freshwater. Oceanography researchers, Ruth Curry and Cecilie Mauritzen say that the belt would end after two centuries if the freshwater persists at the same rate. Stefan Rahmstorf, an ocean physics professor thinks that the water will increase as the glaciers melt more. Roach also discusses other factors that could increase the infusion of freshwater. The World Science article focuses more on the “gradual changes” of the current. Peter Clark, a geoscientist at Oregon State University compares and contrasts our present situation to what happened in the past. The recent data shows that the current will not be an “abrupt” change, like before but a “gradual” one.
I do not have a large knowledge about currents around the world. Between the articles, there were a few sources that all had the same general outlook, so I believe the information. For example, Curry and Mauritzen both had the same views about the future of the currents. Rahmstorf’s opinion differed slightly although they all have the same basic ideas. In Roach’s article Curry mentions, “It will take about a century, at present rates for the circulation pattern to be seriously affected by the increase in the freshwater runoff… It would take about two centuries for freshwater runoff to halt the North Atlantic conveyor belt entirely.” In accordance, Rahmstorf states,”the researchers’ (Curry and Mauritzen) calculations appear accurate. In the World Science article Clark also mentions, “findings of a major new study are consistent with gradual changes of current systems.” I think the information in both articles was quite interesting. I think our currents will change because the scientists all agreed that it would change in time.
The World Science article discusses the gradual changes of the current systems in the North Atlantic Ocean. It explains that global temperatures are projected to increase between 4 and 11 degrees, but gradually enough to allow ecosystems to adjust to the new conditions. They say that the warming effects the Earth is going through now is similar to when the Earth emerged from its last Ice Age will help to predict how the Earth will respond to current warming.
The article from National Geographic also discusses the change in temperature in the Atlantic Oceans. It explained that excessive amounts of freshwater, caused by melting ice, being dumped into the North Atlantic could potentially alter seawater density, which would affect the flow of the current; however, it is unknown how much freshwater would be needed to do so. Some scientists believe that the influx of freshwater is a natural fluctuation of climate systems and will reverse on its own. They say it is hard to predict what will happen but the possibilities range from the currents fixing itself, to the freshwater completely shutting the current cycle down.
Both of these articles addressed the issue of warming ocean temperatures. The first explained what was happening and compared it to past occurrences while the second described more of the possible effects of the warming. I think this is something that should definitely be monitored but should not be worried about too much. It stated in the Nation Geographic article that the freshening was probably “a natural fluctuation in Earth’s climate system that will stop and reverse.” The World Science article also stated, “Its response is gradual. That would give ecosystems more time to adjust to new conditions.” This is a slow moving process that will most likely readjust on its own. Yes, there is the possibility that the freshwater could stop the current flow, but Rahmstorf predicted that this possibility was only as high as 30%. There is a greater chance that the outcome will be much less severe than this.
Both articles discuss the projected effects of global warming and glacier ice melt on the global current conveyer belt. The first article says that the amount of melting freshwater in the Northern Atlantic could very soon effect and change the conveyer belt and the climate of that area, but the second article says that by using computerized models, it has been determined that it wont effect these thing as soon, or as drastically, as previously thought. I know that the scientists responsible for these predictions have no way of knowing for sure what will happen, seeing as all they are doing is stating what they think will happen, but shouldn’t the conclusions that they are coming to be a little more consistent?
Either way, whether the change happens fast, or more gradually, temperatures are going to rise, the climate will change, and the conveyor belt will be broken. Acording to the National Geographic article, the “chance of a complete shutdown exceeds 50 percent if global warming climbs by 7.2° to 9° Fahrenheit (4° to 5° Celsius) by 2100.” I don’t know about you, but to me, this seems like a pretty scary thing. I have a feeling that in our lifetime, we will see some crazy changes in this world we live in, and not just in the oceans. According to the World Science page, the global temperature is “projected to increase about four to 11 degrees” by the end of this century. We may not be able to prevent a major change in our world’s oceans, but maybe we can help to at least slow it down.
Of the two articles, both agree that the North Atlantic conveyor belt warms the Atlantic Coast and circulates heat toward the Arctic where it then becomes cooler and denser and sinks. Both also agree that a significant change in salinity will greatly affect the flow of the currents due to density differences. Each article, though, differs on the amount of time it will take to halt the North Atlantic conveyor belt entirely if at all. In one article published by National Geographic, it is estimated that this belt will take two centuries of freshwater runoff to alter the conveyor belt severely and cause it to stop entirely.
The opposing article from World Science relays the information that major changes in important ocean current systems have happened in Earth’s past due to climate differences as in our last Ice Age. This article proposes that the change wouldn’t be abrupt, but gradual, giving ecosystems and organisms gradual time to adapt. Overall, both articles agree that global climate change is a major factor in altering ocean currents because it increases the melting of sea ice and glaciers, thus increasing the input of freshwater into the ocean, which then alters the salinity.
I think that this issue is pertinent whether or not the effects will be within human lifetime or for centuries afterward. Humans are a contributing factor to global climate change and should be accountable for our actions, working to prevent and negate our harmful influence on our planet. Global climate change has many effects, one of those discussed in these articles being salinity change in the ocean causing disruption to ocean currents. It has been agreed by both articles that “climate changes… are actually continuing to occur somewhat more rapidly than had been predicted in recent years,” affecting the size and accelerating the melting of sea ice as well as “more rain falls at high temperatures in response to rising temperatures.” Yes, climate changes have occurred in the past, but humans are now adding more carbon to the atmosphere with our use of fossil fuels and other activity. The least we can do is reduce our influence.
The article from world-science.com discusses climate change, and global warming. This page also discuses how they find there data using quadrillion calculations to discover differences in the ice age from today. The page new.nationalgeographic.com talks about how freshwater runoff could have harsh side affects altering seawater.
These to articles compare because they are both discussing global warming, while they also contrast because one discusses the side affects while the other discusses the previous ice age and how it provides us with valuable insights for how the earth will respond to the warming.
I think that these test’s on global warming and climate change should continue to happen even if the price is high because it will affect us one way or another.
The first website article I read, the one on Nationalgeographic.com, claims that the sudden shutdown of the ocean currents happening like it did in the day after tomorrow are far fetched. They also warn that it is possible, and while something like this may not happen right away, it can still happen. They warn that the vast amount of fresh water going into the ocean could cause something like this.
The other website, worldscience.net, also claims that a “day after tomorrow scenario” couldn’t happen. Unlike the first website, they claim that there isn’t much to worry about. They talk about how if there are any problems, its over a span of thousands of years. Unlike what the other website did, they went on and explained their reasons through thinking this by using evidence. They used a computer model to see how the deep ocean currents have changed in the past.
I think that the ocean currents should be something to worry about, but not quite because of the effects they may end up having. By the time there is enough fresh water in the ocean to mess those up completely, we would probably have other things to worry about. I’m not saying that the ocean currents stopping aren’t a problem, but that it isn’t our biggest problem so far.
The two articles are similar in that both said that the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation will slow down and maybe even stop if fresh water runoff continues to enter it. How the two articles differed is that one of the scientist groups say that the process will happen gradually and wont effect us for a long time. The ecosystems will also have time to adapt. The other science team’s article says it will take about 20 decades it will happen rapidly.
I think that there will be an ice age eventually. I hope that it will happen in 200 years because I want it to snow sooner in the year and last longer. I also think that it will happen in 200 years because if global worming keeps going up the then lots of fresh water will drain into the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation. Also National Geographic News and Stefan Rahmstorf, an ocean physics professor at Potsdam University in Germany, said the researchers’ “calculations appear accurate.”
Both of the articles are very similar. They both talk about how global warming is causing a change in temperature. Also both talk about how global warming, and how the ice melts on the global current conveyer belt. Both articles say that the Atlantic circulation moves heat toward the Arctic. In the national geographic section, they say that the current in vulnerable to rising temperatures and they talk about the movie “The Day After Tomorrow”. In the world science article they say that global temperatures are still projected to increase about four to 11 degrees by the end of this century.
I personally think that Global warming is something scientist think will end the world. I don’t think that Global warming will do that. Although I do believe that there will be an ice age, but not for a long time. In article two they say that the current is slowing down and may decline by 30 percent by the end of this century. I will not believe in their statistics unless they are proven to be very accurate and true.
The first article describes the effect of freshwater on the Gulf Stream current, similar to what happens in the Hollywood movie, “The Day After Tomorrow.” The gist of this article is that if the freshwater keeps up the same rate of inflow into the ocean as it is going now, which is highly unlikely, or if Greenland, wild card, melts, then we could have a” day after tomorrow” sequence on our hands, but not for another century or so.
Second article states that the changes to the global climate are going to be more gradual, but that this is no reason not to consider the direness of the situation. In past ice ages and global climate changes, the changes have been abrupt due to some sort of scientific forcing. This time, scientists are anticipating a more gradual change to the climate, which will let the ecosystems of the world adjust better. However, the article interestingly states that the North Atlantic Current (the Gulf Stream) has, in the past rapidly shut down due to freshwater influx. Data says that the current may decline by as much as 30% by the end of the century. That means that it might be about to get chilly in Europe!
I think that this concern is very real. However, I also believe that there are some scientists in the world that are trying to blow the entire “global warming” debate out of control. Global warming is something to be considered and monitored, like we are doing continuously. Monitor your influence on the environment: walk to school more often, recycle plastic and aluminum. Do your own part in trying to reduce your carbon footprint. The rest will—ironically—come naturally.
The articles from both National Geographic and the World Science website both support the research that has been done to prove that runoff in the northern latitudes will eventually affect the properties of seawater enough to change the behavior of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation. Estimates stated in the first article suggest “that the chance of a complete shutdown exceeds 50 percent if global warming climbs by 7.2° to 9° Fahrenheit (4° to 5° Celsius) by 2100.“ Many of scientists and researchers quoted by National Geographic agree that the global conveyor belt will be altered by the increased inflow of freshwater in the North Atlantic, but opinion is varied whether it will happen in this century. The second article supports the same predictions, but suggests that the process will take much longer to occur and that the ocean ecosystems will have time to adjust to the changes in currents and temperature.
The fact that runoff will eventually affect the convection of the currents in the North Atlantic makes sense to me. The volume of runoff is dependent on the rate of global warming, which means that the problem will only increase as conditions become warmer. I think that yes, runoff is a legitimate concern but I am not convinced of the time frame in which it will severely alter the global currents. I do think, however, that no matter the amount of time it will take for us to feel the effects of changing currents we must do what we can to decrease our negative impacts on the climate. Because of the nature of the progression of the warming and runoff, the process may happen faster than we expect it to. For this reason we must pay close attention to how conditions are changing in the oceans so we can become more aware of how quickly or slowly the process happens