A gradual northward shift in the Gulf Stream has provided more evidence that the system of currents that keeps Europe warm is weakening. What’s more, modelling suggests that any abrupt shift in the Gulf Stream could signal an imminent, catastrophic collapse in the ocean current.

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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/44252191

Today is the International Day of Action for Rivers.

Climate Change, Deforestation, Upstream Dams and Diversion, Urbanization, Population Pressure are the most acute reason behind the dying situation of a mighty river like Padma. Changes in weather patterns and shifting precipitation regimes have led to reduced rainfall and altered river flow. These changes disrupt the natural balance of water in the river. Unregulated deforestation along the river basin has resulted in soil erosion, siltation, and reduced groundwater recharge. This, in turn, impacts the river's ability to maintain a healthy water flow. Construction of dams and diversion of water for various purposes upstream significantly reduces the water reaching downstream areas, including the Padma River. The gradual drying of the Padma River carries several grave consequences like Ecological Impact, Environmental Degradation, Agricultural Disruption, Water Scarcity, Economic Fallout and many others. Reduced water flow disrupts the river's ecosystems, affecting aquatic life, wetlands, and biodiversity. Farmers who rely on the river for irrigation face challenges, leading to decreased agricultural productivity. As the river's water levels drop, it directly impacts the availability of drinking water for communities living along its banks. The drying of the river can lead to increased pollution, sedimentation, and loss of natural habitats.

Photographer: Asker Ibne Firoz

CC BY-SA 4.0

The findings, which appear this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could explain how calcium carbonate dissolves in shallow layers of the ocean, where scientists had assumed it should remain intact. The results could also change scientists’ understanding of how quickly the ocean can sequester carbon from the atmosphere.

Marine snow is a main vehicle by which the ocean stores carbon. At the ocean’s surface, phytoplankton absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and convert the gas into other forms of carbon, including calcium carbonate — the same stuff that’s found in shells and corals. When they die, bits of phytoplankton drift down through the ocean as marine snow, carrying the carbon with them. If the particles make it to the deep ocean, the carbon they carry can be buried and locked away for hundreds to thousands of years.

Our planet plunged into one of the most dramatic climate states in its long history, approximately 720–635 million years ago. During a period geologists call Snowball Earth, ice sheets crept from the poles all the way to the tropics, covering the oceans and continents in a nearly global freeze.