The big story

The Atlantic’s vital currents could collapse. Scientists are racing to understand the dangers.

December 2021

Scientists are searching for clues about one of the most important forces in the planet’s climate system: a network of ocean currents known as the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). They want to better understand how global warming is changing it, and how much more it could shift in the coming decades—even whether it could collapse.

The problem is the Atlantic circulation seems to be weakening, transporting less water and heat. Because of climate change, melting ice sheets are pouring fresh water into the ocean at the higher latitudes, and the surface waters are retaining more of their heat. Warmer and fresher waters are less dense and thus not as prone to sink, which may be undermining one of the currents’ core driving forces. Read the full story.

—James Temple

We can still have nice things

A place for comfort, fun and distraction in these weird times. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or tweet ’em at me.)

+ What’s your most-loved band t-shirt? (A tatty Metallica ‘Ride the Lightning’ shirt from 1984, thanks for asking)
+ A love letter to Polaroids (but don’t shake them!)
+ Aww, this adventurous teddy bear made it all the way to the top of a mountain! 🧸
+ Somebody write a horror film about this haunted rocking horse immediately.
+ All hail the very best one hit wonders.