Will a warmer climate stop the Gulf Stream? Part II

The salinity of the North Atlantic and Arctic Ocean is considered to be an important factor to keep the deep water formation and thus the Gulf Stream running. Through a warmer climate, and increased melting of the Greenland ice sheet, the salinity may change so that the deep water formation is influenced by a sharply increased supply of fresh water.

So far this has not affected the formation of deep water. But if the fresh water supply is further enhanced the picture may be changed. In recent decades, scientists have got reports showing that the sea ice melting in the Arctic is increasing, that there is an addition of river water into the Arctic Ocean and the melting of the Greenland glacier will increase.

The normal supply of fresh water in the area is huge and so far the increased supply only make up to a small fraction of the total. So far one has not found any evidence that deep water formation is affected in a way that the Gulf Stream has started to slow down.

The factor that probably has the greatest significance in the future is whether the melting of Greenland ice sheet is increasing dramatically. What scientists have different opinions on is whether this is sufficient to affect the Gulf Stream. Some say reassuring that it may take more than a hundred years, some say shorter and some say that it will not happen.