Slowing Ocean Currents Drive Flood Surge Along US Northeast Coast, Scientists Warn

[Social Media]

 

Slowing Ocean Currents Drive Flood Surge Along US Northeast Coast, Scientists Warn

 

A vital system of ocean currents that regulates global climate and sea levels is showing signs of dangerous weakening—and the consequences are already being felt along the northeastern coast of the United States. A new study published Friday by the American Association for the Advancement of Science links the increasing frequency of coastal flooding in the region to the weakening of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, or AMOC.

 

Functioning like a massive oceanic conveyor belt, the AMOC transports heat, salt, and freshwater throughout the Atlantic Ocean. It plays a critical role in shaping weather patterns, global temperatures, and, significantly, sea levels. Scientists have long warned that disruptions to this system could accelerate climate-related changes. This new study shows the AMOC’s weakening is already translating into real-world impacts, especially through its influence on coastal flooding.

 

Using decades of data from tide gauges—devices that monitor sea level changes—combined with sophisticated ocean modeling, researchers were able to quantify the AMOC’s impact on flooding from 2005 to 2022. Their analysis revealed that up to 50% of the flood events in the Northeast during that period were driven by the weakened current. On a practical level, this translated to as many as eight additional flood days per year.

 

“This study is the first to find it’s substantially affecting flood frequency,” said Liping Zhang, a project scientist at the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and one of the study’s authors. While the idea that the AMOC contributes to regional sea level rise isn’t new, Zhang emphasized the study’s importance in highlighting its measurable role in flood frequency, a critical factor for communities planning for climate impacts.

 

The AMOC influences sea levels through two main mechanisms, according to David Thornally, professor of ocean and climate science at University College London, who was not involved in the research. A strong AMOC produces dense, deep water that sinks and flows along the western edge of the Atlantic. When the current weakens, that water becomes less dense, expanding and raising sea levels. Additionally, a weaker AMOC disrupts the Gulf Stream, pushing more water onto the continental shelf and further driving up coastal sea levels.

 

Zhang emphasized the broader implications of these changes: “Coastal flooding can reshape the coastal environment… (and) poses threats to both lives and infrastructure in coastal regions.” As the planet warms and sea levels rise, she said, understanding the dynamics behind these changes is vital to forecasting and preparing for future risks.

 

Thornally agreed, noting that the research offers valuable tools for communities. “A study like this is a good way to demonstrate the day-to-day impacts of changes [in the] AMOC,” he said. He added that while climate models can’t perfectly replicate oceanic systems, the high-resolution modeling used in this study likely does a strong job of mimicking real-world sea level patterns.

 

Gerard McCarthy, an oceanographer at Maynooth University in Ireland who was also not involved in the study, called the findings significant. “It shows how AMOC can help predict sea level extremes along this coast,” he said.

 

Concerns about the AMOC’s stability have grown in recent years. Several studies suggest the current could weaken significantly or even collapse in the coming decades as climate change continues to heat the oceans and melt ice, disrupting the system’s delicate balance of temperature and salinity. “The science is still not clear,” McCarthy cautioned, “but a collapse would be a high-impact event and it is critical that we know what to expect.”

 

While the idea of a sudden AMOC shutdown has captured the public imagination through Hollywood thrillers like The Day After Tomorrow, Thornally noted that the real dangers lie in more subtle but persistent disruptions. “These are not exaggerated movie scenarios,” he said. “They are gradual but devastating shifts already reshaping our coasts.”

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from CNN  2025-05-19

 

 

[gargamon]

This can't be happening. Global warming is a hoax.

 

Or so I've heard...

[BritManToo]

More climate fear ........... when are they going to stop?

[newbee2022]

Scientists?

There are still scientists in US? (Except Kennedy 😱) Not ran away to countries with freedom to research and freedom of speech?

I'll wait for Donnie's comment.

[fredwiggy]

9 minutes ago, newbee2022 said:

Scientists?

There are still scientists in US? (Except Kennedy 😱) Not ran away to countries with freedom to research and freedom of speech?

I'll wait for Donnie's comment.

Well over a million and a half scientists in the US, with freedom to research and speech. Over 5 million others who research also.  Wondering what video you watched where you got that information, which is where many get their information about the US and what goes on there................https://www.ceicdata.com/en/united-states/number-of-researchers-and-personnel-on-research-and-development-oecd-member-annual/number-of-researchers-total

[BritManToo]

17 minutes ago, newbee2022 said:

Scientists?

There are still scientists in US? (Except Kennedy 😱) Not ran away to countries with freedom to research and freedom of speech?

I'll wait for Donnie's comment.

There is no country with freedom to research, you follow government policy or you never work again.

[newbee2022]

6 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

Well over a million and a half scientists in the US, with freedom to research and speech. Over 5 million others who research also.  Wondering what video you watched where you got that information, which is where many get their information about the US and what goes on there................https://www.ceicdata.com/en/united-states/number-of-researchers-and-personnel-on-research-and-development-oecd-member-annual/number-of-researchers-total

Well, obviously you can hear only on one ear and see with one eye only. And both it's the right one.

https://www.npr.org/2025/04/14/nx-s1-5349473/trump-free-speech-science-research

[fredwiggy]

2 minutes ago, newbee2022 said:

Well, obviously you can hear only on one ear and see with one eye only. And both it's the right one.

https://www.npr.org/2025/04/14/nx-s1-5349473/trump-free-speech-science-research

It has nothing to do with Trump. He doesn't have the control many think he does.

[newbee2022]

6 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

There is no country with freedom to research, you follow government policy or you never work again.

Well, in some countries is more freedom than in others.

And US' freedom of speech and research is limited at present

[newbee2022]

1 minute ago, fredwiggy said:

It has nothing to do with Trump. He doesn't have the control many think he does.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2656210/#:~:text=Fifth%2C US government scientists%2C like,and working for the government.

 

And....so all reports about Harvard are not true? Gosh....

[newbee2022]

4 hours ago, Social Media said:

 

Slowing Ocean Currents Drive Flood Surge Along US Northeast Coast, Scientists Warn

 

A vital system of ocean currents that regulates global climate and sea levels is showing signs of dangerous weakening—and the consequences are already being felt along the northeastern coast of the United States. A new study published Friday by the American Association for the Advancement of Science links the increasing frequency of coastal flooding in the region to the weakening of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, or AMOC.

 

Functioning like a massive oceanic conveyor belt, the AMOC transports heat, salt, and freshwater throughout the Atlantic Ocean. It plays a critical role in shaping weather patterns, global temperatures, and, significantly, sea levels. Scientists have long warned that disruptions to this system could accelerate climate-related changes. This new study shows the AMOC’s weakening is already translating into real-world impacts, especially through its influence on coastal flooding.

 

Using decades of data from tide gauges—devices that monitor sea level changes—combined with sophisticated ocean modeling, researchers were able to quantify the AMOC’s impact on flooding from 2005 to 2022. Their analysis revealed that up to 50% of the flood events in the Northeast during that period were driven by the weakened current. On a practical level, this translated to as many as eight additional flood days per year.

 

“This study is the first to find it’s substantially affecting flood frequency,” said Liping Zhang, a project scientist at the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and one of the study’s authors. While the idea that the AMOC contributes to regional sea level rise isn’t new, Zhang emphasized the study’s importance in highlighting its measurable role in flood frequency, a critical factor for communities planning for climate impacts.

 

The AMOC influences sea levels through two main mechanisms, according to David Thornally, professor of ocean and climate science at University College London, who was not involved in the research. A strong AMOC produces dense, deep water that sinks and flows along the western edge of the Atlantic. When the current weakens, that water becomes less dense, expanding and raising sea levels. Additionally, a weaker AMOC disrupts the Gulf Stream, pushing more water onto the continental shelf and further driving up coastal sea levels.

 

Zhang emphasized the broader implications of these changes: “Coastal flooding can reshape the coastal environment… (and) poses threats to both lives and infrastructure in coastal regions.” As the planet warms and sea levels rise, she said, understanding the dynamics behind these changes is vital to forecasting and preparing for future risks.

 

Thornally agreed, noting that the research offers valuable tools for communities. “A study like this is a good way to demonstrate the day-to-day impacts of changes [in the] AMOC,” he said. He added that while climate models can’t perfectly replicate oceanic systems, the high-resolution modeling used in this study likely does a strong job of mimicking real-world sea level patterns.

 

Gerard McCarthy, an oceanographer at Maynooth University in Ireland who was also not involved in the study, called the findings significant. “It shows how AMOC can help predict sea level extremes along this coast,” he said.

 

Concerns about the AMOC’s stability have grown in recent years. Several studies suggest the current could weaken significantly or even collapse in the coming decades as climate change continues to heat the oceans and melt ice, disrupting the system’s delicate balance of temperature and salinity. “The science is still not clear,” McCarthy cautioned, “but a collapse would be a high-impact event and it is critical that we know what to expect.”

 

While the idea of a sudden AMOC shutdown has captured the public imagination through Hollywood thrillers like The Day After Tomorrow, Thornally noted that the real dangers lie in more subtle but persistent disruptions. “These are not exaggerated movie scenarios,” he said. “They are gradual but devastating shifts already reshaping our coasts.”

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from CNN  2025-05-19

 

 

Climate Change?

Limping Zhang?

All fake news?

Donnie, get it straight. We'll count on you and your wisdom✌️

[fredwiggy]

9 minutes ago, newbee2022 said:

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2656210/#:~:text=Fifth%2C US government scientists%2C like,and working for the government.

 

And....so all reports about Harvard are not true? Gosh....

You started saying what scientists? There are millions. This link summarizes their conduct.........https://www.agu.org/science-policy/position-statements/rights-responsibilities

[newbee2022]

21 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

There is no country with freedom to research, you follow government policy or you never work again.

Many left already to Europe

[fredwiggy]

13 minutes ago, newbee2022 said:

Well, in some countries is more freedom than in others.

And US' freedom of speech and research is limited at present

If you lived there you would know more of the truth, instead of relying on others opinions gathered from videos.

[Yagoda]

3 hours ago, BritManToo said:

More climate fear ........... when are they going to stop?

Once the USA and capitalism is eradicated and the world lives under Socialism with Gaia under the Mandate of Heaven.

[Yagoda]

1 hour ago, newbee2022 said:

And US' freedom of speech and research is limited at present

Lie. The fight against Socialist censorship is winning. 

[Chomper Higgot]

1 hour ago, BritManToo said:

There is no country with freedom to research, you follow government policy or you never work again.

So right now in the U.S. climate anthropogenic change denial is government policy.

 

You’re perfectly on board with those not adhering to that policy to be put permanently out of work?

 

And if they are not are you willing to accept your claim to be false?

[thesetat]

1 hour ago, BritManToo said:

There is no country with freedom to research, you follow government policy or you never work again.

They give you the freedom, as long as your results do not conflict with their rhetoric. Like Covid. There were lots of researchers trying to learn about the reality of what the vaccines do or where Covid originated fromand the countries allowed them to research it. Those with results that opposed what the governments wanted to be told were either downplayed or rebuked so quickly with their reputations ruined and the results said to be fakes or fabricated. 

[newbee2022]

1 hour ago, Yagoda said:

Lie. The fight against Socialist censorship is winning. 

🥱🥱😴😴 Fake 🫣

[Yagoda]

16 minutes ago, newbee2022 said:

🥱🥱😴😴 Fake 🫣

You deny that there was Democratic Party censorship?

[newbee2022]

10 minutes ago, Yagoda said:

You deny that there was Democratic Party censorship?

Definitely 

[Yagoda]

3 minutes ago, newbee2022 said:

Definitely 

Got it. We now know how you view life, you dont need to post anything further in political areas, just a hi will do.

[harryviking]

5 hours ago, BritManToo said:

More climate fear ........... when are they going to stop?

🙄🙄🙄

[newbee2022]

3 hours ago, fredwiggy said:

If you lived there you would know more of the truth, instead of relying on others opinions gathered from videos.

Oh, I pity you if you have to stay there and can't escape. Sorry.😱

[fredwiggy]

Just now, newbee2022 said:

Oh, I pity you if you have to stay there and can't escape. Sorry.😱

Huh?