Exploring How the Gulf Stream Affects the Climate System and the Carbon Cycle

Perspective

The Gulf Stream is widely accepted as playing a pivotal role in the climate system through its transfer of heat, which ultimately supplies heat to northern latitudes in the North Atlantic. What remains less well understood is how the Gulf Stream influences the climate system by transporting nutrients and carbon. These materials stimulate plankton growth, which in turn play a vital role in taking up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

The North Atlantic is one of the most effective locations in the global ocean for carbon uptake, accounting for 23% of the global air-sea carbon uptake, despite only accounting for 11% of the surface area. Understanding what drives this ocean carbon uptake could have major impacts for the planet and how effective the natural carbon cycle will be in curbing the ongoing rise of atmospheric carbon dioxide.

The article sets out the view that the Gulf Stream affects the carbon cycle in two different ways. Firstly, the Gulf Stream carries sub-surface waters northwards that have high concentrations of nutrients, which allow plankton to grow and draw down carbon from the atmosphere when those waters reach the surface further to the north. Secondly, these nutrient-rich waters carried by the Gulf Stream were last in contact with the atmosphere many decades ago, and have the capacity to take up additional carbon when they reach the sea surface due to the ongoing rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide. This viewpoint is supported by analyses of historical data and experiments with ocean circulation models.

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