Photo: Getty Images
Climate scientists are concerned after observing warning signs of the collapse of the Gulf Stream, which is among Earth's main potential tipping points.
The Guardian reports the study of currents known by researchers as the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) found "an almost complete loss of stability over the last century."
The report comes after currents have already dropped to their slowest point in at least 1,600 years and could be nearing a shutdown, which would lead to catastrophic global consequences.
That may include disrupting patterns in rain-dependent areas such as India, South America and West Africa; increasing storms and dropping temperatures in Europe; rising sea level off eastern North America and causing more damage to the Amazon rainforest and Antarctic ice sheets, which are already threatened, the research determined.
Scientists noted that the AMOC system's complexity and uncertainty over how global warming will take shape moving forward make it impossible to accurately forecast when a potential collapse could take place.
However, it is estimated to be possible within a decade at the earliest, or several centuries from now.
Scientists reiterated that the colossal impact means it must be taken seriously and be stopped long before it ever happens.
“The signs of destabilisation being visible already is something that I wouldn’t have expected and that I find scary,” said Niklas Boers, from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany, who conducted the research via the Guardian. “It’s something you just can’t [allow to] happen.”