Water density shifts can drive rapid changes in AMOC strength

In the Atlantic Ocean, a system of currents carries vast amounts of warm, salty surface water northward. As this water reaches higher latitudes and becomes colder, it sinks and joins a deep, southward return flow. This cycle, known as the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), plays an important role in Earth's climate as it redistributes heat, nutrients, and carbon through the ocean.