The Gulf Stream slowed during European cooling
2007/01/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria
In the period known as the Little Ice Age, between 1200 and 1850, the average European temperature decreased about 4 °C. A study conducted at the California Institute of Technology reveals that in that period the Gulf Stream, located between the Gulf of Mexico and the Nor-European coast, slowed down.
It is indicated that the damping of the current may have caused the temperature in that interval of years to be lower than normal. As they have explained, by slowing down the movement the heat reached Europe, which caused a decrease in temperature.
Through the Gulf Stream, the temperate water of the Gulf of Mexico moves to the northwest of Europe and its cold water heads towards the Gulf of Mexico. The tropical water that arrives makes the climate of the northwest of Europe more temperate than it corresponds.
