A Mysterious Blob of Cold Water Defies Ocean Heat - Now We Know Why
30 June 2025
ByTessa Koumoundouros
A Mysterious Blob of Cold Water Defies Ocean Heat – Now We Know Why
The anomalous cold blob in the north. (Kai-Yuan Li/UCR)
Over the last decade, Earth's oceans have been warming at unprecedented rates, yet one mysterious blob of water, just south of Greenland, has defied this trend. It has stubbornly remained colder than its surrounding waters for over a century now.
"People have been asking why this cold spot exists," says University of California Riverside climate scientist Wei Liu.
Atlantic sea surface temperature trend between 1900 and 2005 for the average of six observation datasets. (Kai-Yuan Li/University of California Riverside)
To find out, Liu and oceanographer Kai-Yuan Li analyzed a century's worth of temperature and salinity data. They found this mysterious cool patch wasn't limited to the ocean surface, but extended 3,000 meters (around 9,840 feet) deep. And only one scenario they explored could explain both sets of data.
It's the same scenario researchers have been warning the world about for years now: one of Earth's major ocean circulation systems, the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), is slowing down.
"If you look at the observations and compare them with all the simulations, only the weakened-AMOC scenario reproduces the cooling in this one region," explains Li.
If the AMOC stalls, it will disrupt monsoon seasons in the tropics, and North America and Europe will experience even harsher winters. The knock-on effects will severely impact entire ecosystems and global food security.
More:
https://www.sciencealert.com/a-mysterious-blob-of-cold-water-defies-ocean-heat-now-we-know-why
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