A recent report published in the scientific journal Nature and described here by BBC indicates that as the globe continues to warm and the Antarctic Ice Sheet melts rapidly, the infusion of fresh meltwater into the ocean could cause large changes in the large-scale ocean circulation that transports heat, salt, and nutrients around the world. If the circulation slowed as expected, the Gulf Stream would slow down and Europe would become a lot colder. A slower Gulf Stream would affect sea levels along the East Coast of the United States and would affect nutrients that commercial fish need to survive. Temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf could rise more quickly than expected due to the lack of heat transport to the Arctic, increasing the strength of tropical storms and hurricanes headed towards the Southeast.
