You've heard of the invisible hand of the market, the supposedly unseen force that drives an economy. Well, meet the unseen hand of the weather: the Gulf Stream. The powerful current that runs through the Atlantic Ocean helps to regulate temperatures across the Northern Hemisphere and serves as a vital sign of the planet's global health.
New research that checks in on the pulse of the Gulf Stream suggests that it might be on life support. According to a study published this week in the journal Nature and Climate Change, the current known as the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) has experienced "an almost complete loss of stability" over the last 100 years and is showing signs of approaching a complete collapse.
