Could a collapse of the Gulf Stream make winters even colder?

political analyst · 08-08-2021 1:51am #1

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/gulf-stream-collapse-could-leave-ireland-with-winters-as-cold-as-toronto-1.4641032

Climate scientist Dr Brian Kelleher of DCU said Ireland could have winters as cold as Toronto if the prediction of a collapse of the Gulf Stream comes true. A study by Dr Niklas Boers of the Potsdam Institute has found “an almost complete loss of stability over the last century” in the series of currents that researchers call the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC). The currents are already at their slowest point in at least 1,600 years, but the new analysis shows they may be nearing a shutdown. Professor Conor Murphy of Maynooth said a slowdown in AMOC would make winter even colder with more intense storms and potentially drought conditions in summer.

But how does global warming cause winters to get even colder?

08-08-2021 2:11am

If the Gulf Stream collapses, colder winters and hotter summers than normal here will be the least of our worries tbh. The complete collapse of society in vast swathes of the world, as they become uninhabitable as the global climate patterns shift, and the resulting mass migration and wars and global economic turmoil will affect everyone. It would be catastrophic.

having said that, irrespective of what weather we experience, ireland will be as good a place as any to try to avoid the worst of the turmoil

its a proper scary prospect

Capt'n Midnight · 08-08-2021 2:42pm

Unlikely to be as cold as Toronto as our prevailing winds would still come off an ocean rather than a continent.

Probably more like Vancouver https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_of_Vancouver

But hard to predict as our weather is varies a lot as we also get cold and wet from the north , continental dry from the east (but remember hte beast form the east) and warmer air form the south. We are at edge of several weather systems.