A steady ocean pattern just failed for the first time ever observed

2 comments

1. Scientists have spotted something dramatically unusual in the ocean, and it could be a warning sign of things to come.

   Warm air dances with cold air; cold water chases warm water. It’s all a part of a predictable, stable dance of currents and climate patterns that naturally happen all across the Earth. Until it doesn’t.

   For the first time since records began 40 years ago, the cold, nutrient-rich waters of the Gulf of Panama failed to emerge this year. Scientists aren’t sure if it’s a fluke or a new normal.

   Specifically, the Gulf of Panama’s seasonal upwelling system has consistently delivered cool, nutrient-rich waters via northerly trade winds every January-April for at least 40 years. But not this year.

   “Time will tell if this is a real-life example of a climate tipping point – if the failure of upwelling continues in future years,” said [Tim Lenton](https://experts.exeter.ac.uk/19727-tim-lenton), of the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom, a tipping point expert who was not involved in the new research.

   The findings were reported last week in the peer-reviewed journal [Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.](https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2512056122)

2. This sub is always so much fun.

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