Ancient Ocean Slowdown Warns of Future Climate Chaos

A new study by the University of California, Riverside shows that historical episodes of extreme heat caused the exchange between surface water and deep ocean water to slow down.

This process, often referred to as the “global conveyor belt,” redistributes heat around the globe through the movement of the ocean waters, making large portions of the planet habitable.

In their study, recently published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers used fossilized shells recovered from ancient deep-sea sediments to discover how the conveyor belt responded to extreme heat episodes 50 million years ago. At that time, Earth’s climate resembled conditions predicted by the end of this century, if significant action is not taken to reduce carbon emissions.