US Cuts Threaten €25 Million Amoc Monitoring as Ocean Observing Initiative Is Descoped
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Jun 15
US Cuts Threaten €25 Million Amoc Monitoring as Ocean Observing Initiative Is Descoped
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jun 15
Summary
US budget cuts have put Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation monitoring at risk after Washington descoped the Ocean Observing Initiative, part of a program tracking the key Atlantic current system.
About 50% of Amoc monitoring funding comes from NASA, NOAA and NSF, and scientists say losing those observations would deepen uncertainty over when the circulation might weaken sharply or collapse.
A collapse scenario could make climate change in Europe up to 10 times faster than today, with knock-on risks for food security, coastal flooding, storms, energy demand and migration.
Systematic Amoc monitoring began only about 20 years ago, and researchers say sparse long-term observations already limit climate models and fuel conflicting studies over whether the current has weakened.
European scientists are urging the EU, UK and other partners to build an international funding backstop, arguing the full observing system costs only about €25 million a year—roughly five cents per EU resident.