The Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) is the main current system in the Atlantic Ocean, and is also part of the global thermohaline circulation, which connects the world's oceans with a single "conveyor belt" of … 展开

The AMOC has not always existed; for much of Earth's history, overturning circulation in the northern hemisphere occurred in the North … 展开

Observations
Direct observations of the strength of the AMOC have been available since 2004 from RAPID, … 展开

As of 2024 , there is no consensus on whether a consistent slowing of the AMOC circulation has occurred but there is little doubt it will occur in the … 展开

Equatorial areas are the hottest part of the globe; due to thermodynamics, this heat moves towards the poles. Most of this heat is transported by atmospheric circulation but warm, surface ocean currents play an important role. Heat from the equator moves either … 展开

Individual models
Historically, CMIP models, the gold standard in climate science, show the AMOC is very stable; although it may weaken, it will always recover rather than permanently collapse – for example, in a 2014 idealized … 展开

Cooling
A complete collapse of the AMOC will be largely irreversible and recovery would likely take thousands of … 展开