The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is a large system of ocean currents that transports warm water from the tropics northward into the North Atlantic, where it cools, sinks, and flows back southward at depth. This circulation plays a crucial role in regulating the Earth's climate by redistributing heat and affecting weather patterns, marine ecosystems, and the carbon cycle.

Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation

Ocean currents are large-scale movements of water within the world's oceans, driven by factors such as wind, temperature, salinity differences, and the Earth's rotation. They play a crucial role in regulating global climate, distributing heat, and supporting marine ecosystems.

Ocean Currents

Warm water

North Atlantic

Climate regulation refers to the processes and mechanisms that control and stabilize the Earth's climate system, ensuring a balance between energy received from the sun and energy radiated back into space. It involves natural and anthropogenic factors, including greenhouse gas concentrations, ocean currents, and land use changes, which collectively influence global temperature and weather patterns.

Climate Regulation

Redistributing heat

Weather patterns are the result of complex interactions between the Earth's atmosphere, oceans, and land surfaces, influenced by factors such as temperature, humidity, and wind. Understanding these patterns is crucial for predicting weather events and preparing for climate-related impacts on ecosystems and human activities.

Weather Patterns

Marine ecosystems are complex networks of interactions among organisms and their environment in oceanic and coastal waters, playing a crucial role in global biodiversity and climate regulation. They encompass a wide variety of habitats, from coral reefs and kelp forests to deep-sea hydrothermal vents, each supporting unique communities of life and contributing to ecological balance and human economies.

Marine Ecosystems

The carbon cycle is a fundamental Earth system process that regulates the flow of carbon among the atmosphere, oceans, soil, and living organisms, playing a critical role in maintaining climate stability. Human activities, particularly the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation, have significantly altered this cycle, contributing to global climate change.

Concepts

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