Sustainability lecture: 06052015

Changes in the Gulf Stream System, planetary waves and extreme weather

Global warming does not simply warm up our planet’s surface – rather it has some interesting and complex effects on the circulation of its atmosphere and oceans, which were explored in this lecture by Professor Stefan Rahmstorf on May 26th.

The disproportionate warming of the Arctic has been linked in recent research to changes in the activity of planetary waves and the jet stream in the atmosphere. In the ocean, observations point to an ongoing slow-down of the Gulf Stream System. Both types of circulation change may have profound impacts on us humans.