Mayewski discusses slowdown of Atlantic current
North Atlantic ‘cold blob’ signals slowdown in key ocean currents
Jul 15, 2026
Greenland is losing ice mass at an average rate of about 266 billion tons per year, according to NASA. The resulting sea level rise threatens Maine’s more than 3,400 miles of coastline with increased flooding, erosion and wildlife habitat loss. (Adobe Stock)
Scientists warn a mysterious cold patch in the North Atlantic may be a signal human-induced climate change is disrupting global ocean currents.
While the rest of the ocean experiences record warming, a small section nicknamed the “cold blob” south of Greenland has cooled nearly 2 degrees Fahrenheit over the past century.
Paul Mayewski, professor of Earth and climate sciences and former director of the Climate Change Institute at the University of Maine, said fresh water from melting ice sheets is altering the ocean’s salinity and slowing down an underwater conveyor belt, which pulls warm water north.
“There is absolutely no doubt that we live in a time period in which climate change, in this particular case, greenhouse gas warming, is having a dramatic effect,” Mayewski asserted.
The conveyor belt is known as the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation and Mayewski pointed out changes to it could dramatically alter weather conditions in Europe and along the U.S. East Coast. Scientists remain divided over whether the circulation is heading toward a total collapse.
One study determined a complete breakdown could cause temperatures in parts of the Northern Hemisphere to drop by more than 20 degrees Fahrenheit, leading to extreme droughts in some areas and significant sea rise.
Mayewski explained solutions include reducing greenhouse gas emissions or geoengineering the Earth’s natural systems but noted there is no intervention currently available and it is critical for the U.S. to remain engaged in global scientific research.
“These monitoring experiments have gone on for decades. They need to continue in order to be of value,” Mayewski contended. “We need to be part of the international community, not just discussing but finding ways to mitigate, ways to adapt to the things that will happen.”
The Trump administration has proposed a more than 30% cut to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s 2027 budget and the closure of nearly all of the agency’s climate research labs. The reduction is part of a broader effort to “constrain non-defense spending” to help boost the Pentagon’s budget by more than 40%.
Mayewski stressed states like Maine are already having to adapt to sea level rise and continued weakening of ocean currents could lead to increased storm surges and changes to local marine life.