Home  >  The Explanation  >  Why is the Gulf Stream and AMOC so important to our climate?
The Explanation
Why is the Gulf Stream and AMOC so important to our climate?
The Explanation
Jul 23, 2024

Complex ocean currents keep Europe warm and bring rain to Africa, but could they come to an end?

The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is a system of ocean currents within the Atlantic Ocean, transporting warm water north towards the Arctic and returning cold water south towards Antarctica. The Gulf Stream is a component of AMOC, which carries warm water from the Gulf of Mexico, up along the eastern coastline of the United States. AMOC and the Gulf Stream enable heat to be distributed around our planet, and ensure Europe experiences milder weather compared to Canada, despite being on a similar latitude.

AMOC’s currents are driven by changes in water density due to changes in ocean salinity and temperature. Increasing ocean temperatures and freshwater flows from melting ice sheets due to climate change, have the potential to weaken AMOC. This could lead to cooler temperatures in Europe and a drop in rainfall in key agricultural areas in places like Africa and Asia, in turn affecting millions of people.

Host Claire Graham talks to the BBC’s Climate Editor Justin Rowlatt. Produced by Cathy Young for the BBC World Service.

More Episodes


Apr 23, 2026
The Media Show: Building the Uncanny empire

Uncanny, the BBC podcast about paranormal stories, has grown way beyond radio. There's a live theatre tour, a fan convention, it’s on YouTube and now a new series called Uncanny Cold Cases. Danny Robbins, the creator of Uncanny, talks about where the idea came from and why he thinks audiences keep coming back.

QVC has filed for debt restructuring in the US, as it tries to shrink a debt pile of around $6.6bn. The shopping channel, once a giant of tele-shopping, is up against a new generation of buyers who would rather scroll than sit on the sofa with the remote. TikTok Shop alone has around 30 million users in the UK and is now the fourth biggest beauty retailer in the country. Katie Linsell, UK retail reporter at Bloomberg News, lays out what's gone wrong in the US. Rob Locke, presenter on ITV's Shop on TV, talks about what it's really like to sell live in the middle of the night.

Hungary has a new Prime Minister. Péter Magyar's win has ended Viktor Orbán's 16 years in power, and he's promised big changes to the media. That includes rewriting Orbán-era media laws, pausing public broadcasting until it can be proven impartial, and shaking up the way the state hands out advertising money. Amrit Singh, Professor of Practice at NYU School of Law, and Iván Nagy, Hungarian political journalist and fellow at the Columbia Journalism Review, discuss what it's been like to work as a journalist in Hungary.

Presenter: Katie Razzall and Ros Atkins Producer: Lisa Jenkinson Content Producer: Lucy Wai Researcher: Ruth Waites Technical Coordinator: Chris Brown


22min 59sec


Why is the Gulf Stream and AMOC so important to our climate?

--:--
--:--