The Gulf Stream moved northward at the end of the Little Ice Age
Abstract The Gulf Stream forms part of the upper-ocean limb of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, playing an essential role in redistributing heat northward and greatly influencing regional climates in the North Atlantic. Understanding Gulf Stream path and strength variability on pre-i...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Communications Earth & Environment |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02446-3 |
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| author | Edward C. G. Forman James U. L. Baldini Robert A. Jamieson Franziska A. Lechleitner Izabela W. Walczak Dan C. Nita Struan R. Smith David A. Richards Lisa M. Baldini Cameron McIntyre Wolfgang Müller Andrew J. Peters |
| author_facet | Edward C. G. Forman James U. L. Baldini Robert A. Jamieson Franziska A. Lechleitner Izabela W. Walczak Dan C. Nita Struan R. Smith David A. Richards Lisa M. Baldini Cameron McIntyre Wolfgang Müller Andrew J. Peters |
| author_sort | Edward C. G. Forman |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The Gulf Stream forms part of the upper-ocean limb of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, playing an essential role in redistributing heat northward and greatly influencing regional climates in the North Atlantic. Understanding Gulf Stream path and strength variability on pre-instrumental timescales is vital to contextualise its proposed present-day weakening and to better appreciate its sensitivity to external forcing. Here we present a 564 year-long monthly resolved terrestrial palaeo-oceanographic temperature record derived from a Bermudan stalagmite, spanning 1449 to 2013 in the Common Era. Our reconstruction suggests that the Gulf Stream migrated northward as the Little Ice Age abated, after a combination of reduced Gulf Stream transport, enhanced Labrador Current and Deep Western Boundary Current transport, and an extended negative North Atlantic Oscillation phase had likely forced its path southward. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-89a87f318d7843a1a2070b236eff715e |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2662-4435 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Communications Earth & Environment |
| spelling | doaj-art-89a87f318d7843a1a2070b236eff715e2025-08-20T03:06:08ZengNature PortfolioCommunications Earth & Environment2662-44352025-07-016111110.1038/s43247-025-02446-3The Gulf Stream moved northward at the end of the Little Ice AgeEdward C. G. Forman0James U. L. Baldini1Robert A. Jamieson2Franziska A. Lechleitner3Izabela W. Walczak4Dan C. Nita5Struan R. Smith6David A. Richards7Lisa M. Baldini8Cameron McIntyre9Wolfgang Müller10Andrew J. Peters11Department of Earth Sciences, University of DurhamDepartment of Earth Sciences, University of DurhamEarth Surface Science Institute, School of Earth and Environment, University of LeedsDepartment of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of BernDurham Centre for Academic Development, University of DurhamSchool of Geographical Sciences, University of BristolNatural History Museum, Bermuda Aquarium Museum and ZooSchool of Geographical Sciences, University of BristolSchool of Health & Life Sciences, Teesside UniversityLaboratory of Ion Beam Physics, ETH ZürichInstitute of Geosciences, Goethe University FrankfurtASU Bermuda Institute of Ocean SciencesAbstract The Gulf Stream forms part of the upper-ocean limb of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, playing an essential role in redistributing heat northward and greatly influencing regional climates in the North Atlantic. Understanding Gulf Stream path and strength variability on pre-instrumental timescales is vital to contextualise its proposed present-day weakening and to better appreciate its sensitivity to external forcing. Here we present a 564 year-long monthly resolved terrestrial palaeo-oceanographic temperature record derived from a Bermudan stalagmite, spanning 1449 to 2013 in the Common Era. Our reconstruction suggests that the Gulf Stream migrated northward as the Little Ice Age abated, after a combination of reduced Gulf Stream transport, enhanced Labrador Current and Deep Western Boundary Current transport, and an extended negative North Atlantic Oscillation phase had likely forced its path southward.https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02446-3 |
| spellingShingle | Edward C. G. Forman James U. L. Baldini Robert A. Jamieson Franziska A. Lechleitner Izabela W. Walczak Dan C. Nita Struan R. Smith David A. Richards Lisa M. Baldini Cameron McIntyre Wolfgang Müller Andrew J. Peters The Gulf Stream moved northward at the end of the Little Ice Age Communications Earth & Environment |
| title | The Gulf Stream moved northward at the end of the Little Ice Age |
| title_full | The Gulf Stream moved northward at the end of the Little Ice Age |
| title_fullStr | The Gulf Stream moved northward at the end of the Little Ice Age |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Gulf Stream moved northward at the end of the Little Ice Age |
| title_short | The Gulf Stream moved northward at the end of the Little Ice Age |
| title_sort | gulf stream moved northward at the end of the little ice age |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02446-3 |
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