Unexplained Cold Spot in Atlantic Raises Climate Alarm Bells

WHO:

[11:40 a.m. ET] - USA Today - Wei Liu, climate scientist at the University of California, Riverside, led the study on the cold blob.

[11:40 a.m. ET] - USA Today - Kai-Yuan Li, PhD candidate in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at UC Riverside, commented on the North Atlantic Cold Blob.

WHAT:

[11:40 a.m. ET] - USA Today - A "cold blob" in the North Atlantic has cooled by up to 1 degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) over the past few decades.

[11:40 a.m. ET] - USA Today - Scientists estimate the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) will weaken by at least 20% by 2100 and may eventually shut down completely.

[11:40 a.m. ET] - USA Today - A 2015 Nature study linked a 30% slowdown in the AMOC between 2009 and 2010 to a 128 millimeter increase in sea level north of New York City during that period.

WHERE:

[11:40 a.m. ET] - USA Today - The cold blob is located in the North Atlantic Ocean, specifically south of Greenland.

[11:40 a.m. ET] - USA Today - The impacts of AMOC weakening would be felt around Greenland, Iceland, and northern Europe.

WHEN:

[11:40 a.m. ET] - USA Today - The study indicates that the AMOC may weaken by at least 20% by 2100.

WHY:

[11:40 a.m. ET] - USA Today - The cooling in the cold blob region is attributed to changes in the AMOC, which is affected by human activity causing warming and melting ice caps, leading to an infusion of cold, fresh water.

HOW:

[11:40 a.m. ET] - USA Today - The AMOC is a complex network of ocean currents that moves warm water north, where it cools and sinks, then flows back south.

(UPDATED June 16, 2026 06:54 UTC)

A new study led by climate scientist Wei Liu from the University of California, Riverside, reveals that a "cold blob" in the North Atlantic has cooled by up to 1 degree Celsius over recent decades, with significant implications for the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, or AMOC. Researchers estimate that the AMOC could weaken by at least 20% by 2100, potentially leading to its complete shutdown, which would impact regions around Greenland, Iceland, and northern Europe. This cooling is linked to human activities that have altered the AMOC, causing melting ice caps to release cold, fresh water into the ocean currents.