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Measuring Europe's central heating system

13 February 2004

British scientists set sail today from Glasgow to begin work aimed at discovering if Britain is indeed in danger of entering the next ice age.

Scientists on the Royal Research Ship Discovery are on their way to deploy oceanographic instruments across the Atlantic Ocean from the Canary Islands to the Bahamas. The instruments will spend the next four years measuring the temperature, salinity and speed of currents.

The work is part of a research programme called Rapid Climate Change, funded by the UK's Natural Environment Research Council and the USA's National Science Foundation. This measurement programme across the Atlantic is being carried out by scientists from Southampton Oceanography Centre (SOC) and the University of Miami.

Dr Stuart Cunningham, of SOC, explained, "These specially developed instruments will be attached to wires up to 5000 metres long. The wires are anchored to the seabed and buoys at the top hold them straight just under the surface. Some instruments will motor up and down the wires every two days, taking measurements, for the next four years.

"We're taking measurements at 22 moorings on the continental slope off Africa, either side of the mid Atlantic ridge, and on the continental slope of the USA."

The measurements will help discover what, if anything, is going on with currents circulating in the Atlantic that act as Europe's central heating system. Warm surface water is driven by the wind from the Gulf of Mexico north towards Europe. It moves fast, transporting heat equivalent to the power generated by one million nuclear power stations. The warm surface water gives its heat off to the atmosphere, which in turn keeps Europe about 5-10°C warmer than it would otherwise be. In the seas around the Arctic it cools and sinks and returns south - the Atlantic overturning circulation.

Stuart said, "We know that in the past disruptions to this system of currents have coincided with rapid transitions in and out of ice ages.

"Now as the climate warms more ice is melting at the North Pole. This extra cold fresh water could halt the overturning circulation, stopping all this extra heat reaching Northern Europe. There is speculation that this could quickly plunge us into a mini ice age.

"This pilot scheme will monitor variations in the circulation. It might show the circulation is slowing down. It might be speeding up. We don't know."

From 1st May 2005 the Southampton Oceanography Centre (SOC) is known as the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton (NOCS).

 

Further information

Jackie Kelly
SOC Press Officer
Tel: 023 8059 6666

NERC Press Office
Natural Environment Research Council
Polaris House, North Star Avenue
Swindon, SN2 1EU
Tel: 01793 411561
Mob: 07917 557215

Notes

1. Rapid Climate Change is a six year research programme, which started in 2000. The Natural Environment Research Council has allocated £20m to the programme, and (USA) has contributed an additional £5m toward establishing the moorings across the Atlantic.

2. The programme's main objective is to improve our ability to quantify the probability and magnitude of future rapid climate change.

3. The research cruise left Glasgow at 12 noon on 12 February 2004. It goes first to the Canary Islands, testing the instruments on the way. From the Canaries 13 moorings will be deployed: nine on the continental slope off Africa, two on the eastern side of the Mid Atlantic Ridge and two on the western side. The ship then sails to the Bahamas, where the Miami researchers join it, and together the British and American scientists will deploy 9 moorings on the continental slopes off the Bahamas.

4. Two of the instruments are equipped to transmit data back by satellite. This is new technology and so there is a chance it may not work initially. However, the programme's long-term goal is to have all the data recorded transmitted back by satellite.

5. If you want to speak to the scientists involved, you may contact Dr Stuart Cunningham. He is available until 22 March at SOC on 023 80596436. Professor Harry Bryden is available on 023 8059 6437 until 15 March 2004.

6. The UK Natural Environment Research Council funds and carries out impartial scientific research in the sciences of the environment. NERC trains the next generation of independent environmental scientists.

7. Southampton Oceanography Centre, (SOC) is a joint venture between NERC and the University of Southampton.

Press release: 03/04

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