Could a US ocean current turn ‘The Day After Tomorrow’ into reality?

Scenes in ‘The Day After Tomorrow’ show massive tsunamis, a new ice age and certain death for millions after a key ocean current stopped circulating.

Though the star-studded film is fictional, real-life scientists are researching a key ocean current to figure out if it’s slowing down – and what would happen if it stopped.

The Florida Current, a fast, warm current flowing between the Bahamas and Florida, pushes key minerals and warm water up the eastern seaboard.

The warm water in the current feeds directly into the Gulf Stream – a key component of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), a fancy term for the circulation of currents which keep the Atlantic Ocean healthy and keep the climate in the area steady.

Researchers have been studying these currents for almost half a century, but are now trying to find out a key point: Is the Florida Current slowing down? And what happens if it does?

In 2005, in a finding eerily similar to that in the film ‘The Day After Tomorrow’, British oceanographer Harry Bryden found that the AMOC appeared to be slowing down.

The reason why, however, has yet to be found.

The Florida Current is a key part of the AMOC – by feeding warm water, which funnels up into the north Atlantic Ocean, before being channelled back down to rewarm, weather systems and the ocean are steadied.

But global warming might be throwing this perfect system into disarray. And the results of research are saying very different things.

Cable data found by multiple teams appear to show two different conclusions: that the AMOC is weakening, and that it’s not weakening nearly as much as previously thought.

So what gives? Is the world facing a ‘Day After Tomorrow’ scenario?

If the current is ‘shut off’, temperatures across northwestern Europe could plunge by as much as 27C as Arctic ice spreads south and the world’s rainfall pattern is thrown into disarray.

If it does shut down, not only will Europe face Arctic temperatures, but other parts of the world will heat up even more than they already have.

Others will face droughts, while the overall chaotic weather could cause global food and water shortages.

It’s not all bad news, though – initial estimates show that, contrary to the Hollywood film, this slowing down of the current would be gradual, rather than immediate.

A study previously suggested the AMOC could shut down as soon as 2025, with a full or partial collapse ‘most likely’ to happen this century.

Although impossible to confirm until the current actually does switch off – at which point it is too late to act – scientists are saying it’s not something to ignore.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.