Scientists find mysterious ‘cold blob’ in Atlantic Ocean, raising fears of a climate catastrophe

A mysterious patch of unusually cold water in the North Atlantic Ocean may be an alarming sign of a major climate tipping point, according to a new scientific study.

The area, often called the “cold blob” or “warming hole”, lies south of Greenland and Iceland.

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While most of the world’s oceans are warming due to climate change, this region has cooled by nearly 1 degree Celsius since 1900.

Researchers believe the phenomenon is linked to the weakening of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, known as the AMOC, a vital system of ocean currents that moves warm water from the tropics towards the Northern Hemisphere.

The new study suggests the cooling is happening not only at the ocean surface but also deep underwater, strengthening the argument that changes in ocean circulation are responsible.

“It is changing ocean heat transport” which is driving the cooling of the cold blob, study author Stefan Rahmstorf, a professor at Potsdam University in Germany, told CNN.

Scientists have warned that a collapse of the AMOC could have severe global consequences, including rising sea levels along the US East Coast, colder winters in Europe and disruptions to African monsoon systems.

Jonathan Baker, a senior climate scientist at the UK Met Office, told CNN: “I would view this study as adding evidence for an AMOC contribution to the cold blob, rather than definitively settling the question.”