The global ocean conveyor belt

Driven by changes in temperature and salinity, thermohaline circulation powers a huge current system known as the global ocean conveyor belt. It transports heat from the tropics to the poles in surface currents, and then cold water is transported back to the equator through deeper currents. The ocean system plays a critical role in regulating the global climate.

The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) – a complex network of currents, including the Gulf Stream – is a key component of the global ocean conveyor belt.

The formation of North Atlantic Deep Water in the Nordic and Labrador Seas is fundamental to the AMOC, but it is this process that is now under threat. Rapid warming and freshening from melting ice and increasing freshwater runoff are disrupting this process, putting the AMOC at serious risk.

ESA’s Next Generation Gravity Mission could provide the first opportunity to directly track the AMOC.

Read full story: New ESA gravity mission set to detect weakening ocean conveyor