This spot will be key to the inevitable collapse of a key Atlantic current

True colour satellite image of the Earth showing Greenland, Europe and Northern Africa, with cloud coverage.

Scientists have pinpointed the ocean engine with the biggest role in driving key Atlantic currents that regulate Earth's climate, new research suggests.

The Irminger Sea off southeastern Greenland is where warm waters that transport heat northwards from the Southern Hemisphere sink and then return south along the bottom of the ocean. As such, this region plays a critical role in powering the ocean conveyor belt known as the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC).