thermohaline circulation, definition of

Large-scale density-driven circulation in the ocean, caused by differences in temperature and salinity. In the North Atlantic the thermohaline circulation consists of warm surface water flowing northward and cold deep water flowing southward, resulting in a net poleward transport of heat. The surface water sinks in highly restricted sinking regions located in high latitudes.

• Shakun on our wobbly world’s precession, ocean CO2 fizzing, the last ice age, and all that
  It seems that the author of the recent paper in Nature (Shakun et al ) says that the Earth’s wobble was a contributor for ending the ice age, but won’t go so far as to call it the trigger...
• Currents and climate – still not settled
  From Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution  via Eurekalert Newly discovered Icelandic current could change North Atlantic climate picture An international team of researchers, including physical oceanographers from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution...
• Atlantic ‘conveyor belt’ current – still going strong
  From the American Geophysical Union: Study suggests no slowing of Atlantic ‘conveyor belt’ current The Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC), which carries warm water to high northern latitudes near the surface and returns cold...
• “Profound” climate variability engine found – leakage around the Cape of Good Hope “could mean that current IPCC model predictions for the next century are wrong”
  From the National Science Foundation: Threading the Climate Needle: The Agulhas Current System Increased Agulhas “leakage” significant player in global climate variability Additional photos here The Agulhas Current which runs along the east...