Of all the ocean currents, the Gulf Stream is one of the strongest. It brings warmth to Europe and North America. In fact, average annual temperature in north-west Europe is about 9°C above the average for this latitude because of the Gulf Stream. How does it work? Surface water in the north Atlantic is cooled by winds from the Arctic. It becomes more salty and more dense, which makes it sink to the ocean floor. The cold water then moves towards the equator where it slowly warms. To replace all this cold water, the Gulf Stream moves warm water from the Gulf of Mexico to the North Atlantic. Could global warming affect the Gulf Stream? When the last Ice Age ended (10,000 years ago) and huge amounts of ice melted, the water in the North Atlantic became less salty because of all this new freshwater. As a result, the ocean water in the North Atlantic was less dense, and did not sink. This caused the Gulf Stream to shut down. Temperatures in north-west Europe fell by 5°C in just a few decade...
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