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raspberry-blower · Joined: 14 Mar 2009 Posts: 1730

Guardian: Research finds the Gulf Stream at the weakest for 1600 years

emordnilap · Posted: Thu Apr 12, 2018 12:19 pm Post subject:

Can anyone explain for me how a slowing down of AMOC raises sea levels? Serious question.
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kenneal - lagger · Posted: Thu Apr 12, 2018 1:34 pm Post subject:

The slowing of the rate of flow means that the water level rises. Fact of fluid dynamics.
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As Steve Keen puts it: “Capital without energy is a statue; labour without energy is a corpse.” Economics ignores this which is why economics is broken.

RenewableCandy · Joined: 12 Sep 2007 Posts: 12654 Location: York

Leaving aside the cooling effect this is going to have on the UK (we're about the same latitude, here in York, as Moscow is), we'll also be a LOT drier because we'll have a cold sea upwind of us. Other places with a cold sea upwind include the Namib desert and California - home of Death Valley & a load of forest fires.

We'll have to resort to using fog-catchers to collect water.

<looks out of window at interminable rain>
<sighs>
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emordnilap · Posted: Fri Apr 13, 2018 5:29 pm Post subject:

woodburner · Joined: 06 Apr 2009 Posts: 3822

johnhemming2 · Joined: 30 Jun 2015 Posts: 2160

These are the sort of real risks that do have the potential to create havoc for the human population of the UK.

UndercoverElephant · Posted: Fri Apr 13, 2018 7:58 pm Post subject:

Potemkin Villager · Joined: 14 Mar 2006 Posts: 1082 Location: Narnia

RenewableCandy · Joined: 12 Sep 2007 Posts: 12654 Location: York

Have to say a proper scientist would, at that point, have admitted we have as yet no way of knowing the timescale. Non-linear effects and all that.

Mind you I think we can at least be certain that, unlike in the film, you won't have to sprint away from it...
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kenneal - lagger · Posted: Mon Apr 16, 2018 2:04 pm Post subject:

I saw a program on TV which said that the geological record showed that Northern Europe had gone from warm to cold ice age at the end of the last major ice age over a period of about 50 year in the past and put in down to an ice dam breaking in North America, forming the St Lawrence river, and dumping billions of tonnes of cold water into the North Atlantic blocking off the Gulf Stream. They called a change over 50 years rapid climate change.

Regarding the height of the sea over mean sea level, this varies considerably according the the tide, local gravitational effects, the density of the water which in turn varies according to its temperature and salinity, as well as the speed of current. It can vary up to four times a day as happens in the Solent.
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As Steve Keen puts it: “Capital without energy is a statue; labour without energy is a corpse.” Economics ignores this which is why economics is broken.

BritDownUnder · Posted: Mon Apr 16, 2018 3:54 pm Post subject:

Introducing the The Younger Dryas.

kenneal - lagger · Posted: Mon Apr 16, 2018 4:52 pm Post subject:

kenneal - lagger · Posted: Mon Apr 16, 2018 4:57 pm Post subject:

The maximum sea level change along the east coast of the US caused by a slowing of the Gulf Stream would occur where the Gulf Stream is constrained between Florida and the Bahamas and flows at its fastest at the moment. Thus Florida would be the worst affected area adding to the already rising sea level there.
_________________
As Steve Keen puts it: “Capital without energy is a statue; labour without energy is a corpse.” Economics ignores this which is why economics is broken.