Past abrupt changes in Atlantic Ocean currents controlled the Earth’s energy balance
A study published in Nature Geoscience explores how abrupt changes in the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) during the last ice age influenced the Earth's energy balance. The research highlights how heat accumulation and loss in the ocean, driven by radiative feedbacks, played a critical role in past climate reorganizations.
Why it matters
Understanding historical ocean current shifts provides essential context for predicting how modern climate change and potential AMOC instability could impact future global energy balances.
Nature Geoscience ( 2026 ) Cite this article
During the last ice age, the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) underwent a series of abrupt reorganizations. The global impact of these events reflects the accumulation of heat in the ocean interior during the weak AMOC mode and its loss during the strong mode, facilitated by radiative feedbacks that altered the planetary energy balance.
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