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Snapshot 6:Thu, Apr 16, 2026 7:31:50 PM GMT last edited by Nick

Study Suggests Atlantic Ocean Current Collapse Risk Has Risen Above 50%

AMOCStudy Suggests Atlantic Ocean Current Collapse Risk RisesHas Risen Above 50%, Scientists Warn%

Is the Atlantic current's collapse an existential civilizational emergency or an overhyped climate scenario?
Study Suggests Atlantic Ocean Current Collapse Risk Has Risen Above 50%
Above: Michael Böttinger from the German Climate Computing Center points to the Gulf Stream in the Atlantic Ocean on Sept. 25, 2024. Image credit: Marcus Brandt/picture alliance/Getty Images

The Spin


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Real-worldThe oceanAMOC datacollapse confirmsrisk AMOChas isjumped alreadyfrom weakening5% atto multipleover latitudes,50% and currenta climatefull-fledged modelscanary arein actuallythe underestimatingcoal themine. declineCutting emissions meaningto thenet tippingzero pointis couldthe arriveonly mid-century.path Athat 50%avoids slowdownplunging alone,Europe withoutinto fullextreme collapsecold, woulddevastating devastateAfrican agricultureharvests, spikeand seatriggering levelscatastrophic andsea freezelevel Europerise. GreenlandEvery meltwaterton isn'tof evencarbon factoredpollution burned today locks in yet,a sofuture thethat actualgenerations trajectorywon't isbe almostable certainlyto worseundo.


Metaculus Prediction

There's a 50% chance that the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) will collapse by December 2056, according to the Metaculus prediction community.


The Controversies



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© 2026 Improve the News Foundation.

All rights reserved.

Version 7.4.1