The Gulf Stream is an ocean current that forms part of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). It transports heat northwards from the tropics, and is largely responsible for the relatively mild climate of Western Europe. A reduction in overturning circulation could lead to lower temperatures in the North Atlantic Ocean, which would affect the climate in Europe. Understanding the links between the climate and the Gulf Stream, and the implications of any slowing which may occur, is vital for businesses, communities and policy-makers to be able to plan for the future.

Research led by Blue-Action suggests that warmer summers in the sub-polar North Atlantic could be contributing to changes in overturning circulation. To progress further in understanding overturning circulation and how it influences Europe's weather and climate, we need to combine long-term, comprehensive observational programmes with cutting-edge model development.

For more details, please download our full briefing note or see the presentations below.

4 September 2018, Science-policy breakfast discussion: "The slowing Gulf Stream? What we know and potential impacts",  European Parliament, Brussels (BE)

This policy briefing was held on 4 September 2018 in Brussels, at the European Parliament.

The policy brief document (here below) and the meeting were a joint effort of Blue-Action, the AtlantOS project and Searica. Searica is the European Parliament Intergroup on The Seas, Rivers, Islands and Coastal Areas. The intergroup brings together 80 Members of the European Parliament from six different political groups and 19 member states.

Target audience: Members of the European Parliament and policy makers.

Blue-Action and AtlantOS representatives: Steffen M. Olsen (DMI), Tor Eldevik (UiB), Ben Moat (UKRI-NOC), Karin Margretha Larsen (HAV), Marius Årthun (UiB) and Marilena Oltmanns (GEOMAR)

Organisers: Steffen M. Olsen (DMI), Klaas De Boer (Searica), Jan-Stefan Fritz (KDM), Raeanne Miller (SRSL)

Venue: European Parliament, Altiero Spinelli  ASP 5G-1, Rue Wiertz 60, B-1047 Brussels

Short feature by Searica: http://www.searica.eu/en/events/conferences/the-slowing-gulf-stream

Policy Brief: "The Slowing Gulf Stream? What we know and potential impacts" available on Zenodo
Cite as: Olsen, Steffen, Årthun, Marius, Eldevik, Tor, Fritz, Jan-Stefan, Larsen, Karin, Miller, Raeanne, … Oltmanns, Marilena. (2018, September 3). The Slowing Gulf Stream? What we know and potential impacts (Version 4 September 2018). Zenodo. http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1408097

Presentations on "Setting the Scene" and  of the Panel Discussion are available in Zenodo
Cite as: Olsen, Steffen, Eldevik, Tor, Moat, Ben, Larsen, Karin Margretha, Oltmanns, Marilena, & Årthun, Marius. (2018, September). The Slowing Gulf Stream? A science-policy breakfast discussion: Presentations. Zenodo. http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1409470

Poster of the event Download the PDF