Is the Gulf Stream broken? NOAA satellite data sounds alarm

Friday, January 29, 2016 by: Jennifer Lea Reynolds
Tags: global warming, gulf stream, NOAA

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(NaturalNews) It's no secret that the weather is becoming more severe as time goes on. From places like Buffalo, New York, which recently got hit with a hefty 5 feet of snow during one storm, to other areas that experience extreme temperature fluctuations from one day to the next, it's obvious that the climate is changing.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration(NOAA) satellite data and details from an animated map called the Earth Wind Map, show that it's not only changing, but that it's changing fast.

Data suggests rapid changes occurring in Gulf Stream temperature

November 2014 data suggests that the stream is exhibiting colder than normal conditions. On top of that, it's taking place in not just one area, but two, further demonstrating that climate changes are underway. For example, both sites showed that the North Atlantic was colder than average, but also that the Gulf itself is colder than normal, which was not the case just one month prior, in October 2014.

The information has many wondering if the Gulf Stream may be broken, something that surely is cause for concern as bizarre weather patterns continue to occur. Unfortunately, it would appear that it is indeed broken and that climate changes will become the norm.

In fact, according to 1000 climate experts who gathered at the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) conference earlier this year, people should prepare to brace themselves for weather changes of apocalyptic proportions in the coming years. Their observations and words of warning are nothing short of alarming, indicatingthat the atmosphere may bebeyond repair. Instead, it's now a matter of dealing with the consequences, much of which has occurred at the hands of humans.

Changing weather conditions "irreversible"

"It's irreversible and the world's population continues to increase, so we must adapt," says Jennifer Vanos, a professor of atmospheric sciences at Texas Tech University.

Experts are adamant that by 2050, airplane passengers will experience about twice as much in-flight air turbulence, ships will encounter gigantic ocean waves well over 130-feet (40 meters)-high and a two percent rise in average global temperature is expected.

What does this mean? It isn't good.

Simon Wang, assistant director of the Utah Climate Center, says "We'll see clouds forming faster and more easily, and more downpours" which he notes will create an influx of flash flooding.

The changes occurring in the Gulf Stream and the climate overall are attributed to many factors, and experts are not ruling our human disruption.

Natural processes as well as human activity responsible for severe climate changes

Experts from NOAA, for example, say that natural factors such as volcanic activity and changes in solar luminosity are behind climate changes. However, they aren't hesitant to suggest that the changes are also brought on by human actions, mainly regarding greenhouse gas emissions.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) agrees, stating in a recent news release that "It is extremely likely that human influence has been the dominant cause of the observed warming since the mid-20th century."

Thomas Stocker, the IPCC co-chair says, "Continued emissions of greenhouse gases will cause further warming and changes in all components of the climate system. Limiting climate change will require substantial and sustained reductions of greenhouse gas emissions." Stocker explains that heat waves will become more common and last longer, while dry areas will receive less rainfall and wet regions will likely experience more.

The IPCC notes that "Warming in the climate system is unequivocal" expressing that "Each of the last three decades has been successively warmer at the Earth's surface than any preceding decade since 1850, and since 1950 many changes have been observed throughout the climate system that are unprecedented over decades to millennia."

While the changes noted in the Gulf Stream and the overall weather are disturbing, can we really say that they are surprising?

Sources for this article include:

(1) http://www.thebigwobble.org
(2) http://www.skynews.com.au
(3) http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/globalwarming/end.html
[PDF] http://www.ipcc.ch