Scientists have cliamed that the Gulf Stream will lose much of its salt water by fresh melting icebergs, Plunging much of Britain into a terrible winter, I was wondering if it could be avoided by any human means other than reducing greenhouse gasses, for example throwing as much salt into the stream as possible?
No.
Simply put that gulf stream is an animal all on it’s own. I live in New England and the particular part I live in gets a dose of the gulf stream every other year. Some years things are worse than others. One cool thing is that when diving in parts of Rhode Island you can see tropical fish that have made it north…why a few years ago a Manatee showed up in Connecticut.
As making the gulf stream more saline…there is no way in my opinion…It’s like trying to prevent a hurricane, ain’t gonna happen.
Ryan_Liam,
Do you have a link to any info on this, and the effects it will have on Britain?
There was a documentary on this six or so months ago. Sorry but I forget what channel. Maybe Discovery.
The melting ice contributes fresh, cold water to a current that descends to the sea floor in the north polar region, runs down the mid Atlantic, around Cape Horn and up into the Indian Ocean. The water has then warmed enough to rise, flow on the surface back down the Indian Ocean, across the south Atlantic and north up the Atlantic and along the coast of North America. It is this converyor belt of warm water, that moderates the climate in the northern hemisphere, that is in danger of being disrupted by too much ice pack melting too fast.
And, if the warming is caused by greenhouse gasses something can be done about it. Whether something will be done is another matter.
If the warming is part of the same cycle that produces periodic ice ages, it is probably beyond our current power. [pure speculation] It is at least conceivable that this warming and the resulting ice pack melting which disrupts the Gulf Stream has always been the basis for the ice ages. [/pure speculation]
It was on Horizon the other night, anyway, as a teenager should I be really worried about it? It just seems everyother day there is more and more bad news that I will have to face upto when I’m older, so yeah thanks current generation (slight hijack)
Now there’s a new complaint. 
I suppose it depends on melt rate, dilution rate of ocean salinity etc. Be concerned but don’t freak out.
Brief science-type article with pretty picture
Search for “thermohaline” to get a huge list of more detailed stuff.
The life cycle of the Gulf Stream is considerably longer than your own. You needn’t worry.
Unlikely humans can do anything about it, even by reducing emissions, since most or all of global warming is caused by a natural fluctuation in the heat provided by the sun.
This will happen sooner or later…
cite?
There has been some Scientific evidence coming out in recent years that the Gulf Stream is metastable. That is, from time to time is just changes dramatically. E.g., near the end of the last Ice Age. Now whether it was a cause or effect of that Ice Age is still being looked at.
Since so little is known at this time, there is virtually no way we can say why or when it will shift again. (The big worry is the current sinking before it gets to Europe.) However, mucking around with the climate of the globe certainly should worry people. Keep in mind, sometimes the Scientists are wrong. Things could get much worse much faster. That’s what happened with depletion of the Ozone Layer. People are being surprised right now as to how fast the glaciers on Kilamanjaro are disappearing as well as the thinning of the Arctic permanent ice.
The Gulf Stream has no “natural life cycle”. (The current goes thru a cycle, but it is a non-stop process. It doesn’t begin or end.) But if there is a significant shift in the current during your lifetime, and you live in northwestern Europe, you have a big problem on your hands.
There are been all sorts of natural disasters over the centuries. There have also been man made ones. Averting the man made ones seems like a good idea. The fact that there were natural ones should enter into this issue is completely illogical.
I would hate to think that a murderer could get away with it by merely pointing out how death occurs all the time.
So, this will cause a terrible winter? I seem to recall hearing about a period of time when Europe’s crops began to waver and fail due to climatic shifts. Ah yes… the Little Ice Age of ~1350-~1900 (dates vary from source to source).
This source puts the LIA at 1550-1700, but it does mention that it made crops fail during the period and certainly didn’t help Europe’s economy. Here’s a little quote:
So, do any of you think that the Gulf Stream played a role in this, too?
Global warming is widely misinterpreted by the public. They think it’s caused by the Ozone hole and it will be great, temps in the 70s in NY at Xmas.
It is adding energy to the climate system. This tends to make things more severe, both cold and warm. A cold blast from Siberia might not have enough wind behind it to reach Oregon. Now it could.
Also, it’s an average. Some places will have worse winters. Take Buffalo NY. The worst month for snow there is Jan. Then it tapers off some due to Lake Erie starting to get frozen over, esp. on the East end. But if Erie doesn’t freeze, and in fact has warmer water, then Feb. in Buffalo is going to be really awful. More snow, longer to melt off, delayed spring.
We don’t really know at all what affect an open Artic Ocean is going to have on snowfall on the surrounding areas. Esp. since it hasn’t happened in last 10,000 years.
As to the Gulf Stream and the LIA. The LIA was a global phenomenon. E.g., it affected the US SW quite a bit. It could have affected the Gulf Stream, which in turn might account for the effects noticed in Europe. But people weren’t measuring the Gulf Stream temps in those days.
I seem to remember that the more doom-mongering of the predictions were that the Gulf Stream could “switch off” altogether within 20 years. Best stock up on thermals.
There again, some people say that it’s not the Gulf Stream that keeps Britain warm in winter - it’s the Rocky Mountains…
My grandmother used to tell me that when she was a child (1870s-80s) in Missouri, the Missouri River used to freeze over hard enough at Jefferson City that they could cross it with a horse and wagon. This has certainly not happened in my lifetime.