Iceland Runs Crisis Exercise for AMOC Ocean Current Collapse

Live updates

1. 2h ago

   Iceland declares AMOC ocean current collapse an existential threat

   Iceland has officially designated the potential collapse of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) as a national security concern and an existential threat. The government is now reviewing scenarios and practicing responses through crisis exercises to prepare for a future where the current stops transporting warm water north. This move comes amid fears that a collapse could shroud the country in unbearably cold temperatures. While Iceland is war-gaming the event, new research suggests most other governments have omitted this risk from their national climate plans.

   Why it matters

   The AMOC regulates global climate patterns by moving warm water from the tropics to northern latitudes. A collapse of this system could drastically reshape global weather. Some studies indicate these currents could fail within this century.

   What is confirmed

   • Iceland has declared the potential collapse of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation as a national security concern and existential threat.
   • The Icelandic government is reviewing scenarios and practicing responses to a potential cessation of warm water cycling north.
   • The AMOC transports warm water from the tropics to northern latitudes to regulate global climate patterns.
   • Research indicates that the risk of Atlantic current collapse is missing from nearly all national climate plans.

   Still unconfirmed

   • The Atlantic Ocean current system is facing an imminent collapse.

   What to watch next

   • Updates on results from Iceland's crisis exercise scenarios
   • Integration of AMOC risks into other national climate plans
   • New scientific data on the timeline of a potential AMOC collapse
   Sources used for this update (10)

   1. Gizmodo — Iceland Runs Crisis Exercise for AMOC Ocean Current Collapse
   2. BBC — The Climate Question | AMOC: How the changing Atlantic could reshape our world
   3. News.com.au — Weather threat rocks the world
   4. Coda Story — Heat in the ocean, heads in the sand
   5. The Conversation — Key Atlantic currents could collapse this century, but the risk is missing from almost all national climate plans – new study
   6. gizmodo.com — Iceland Runs Crisis Exercise for AMOC Ocean Current Collapse
   7. www.wionews.com — Iceland Declares Potential Atlantic Current Collapse a ... - WION
   8. www.wionews.com — THIS country has declared an 'existential threat' as another ...
   9. www.globalgovernmentforum.com — Key Atlantic currents could collapse this century, but the ...
   10. lavacentre.is — Lava Centre - Live Earthquake and Volcano Monitoring in Iceland
   confidence 90%