When Will the AMOC Collapse? Lightning Round Interview with Peter Ditlevsen

In this special Climate Chat "Lightning Round" episode we discuss when the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) ocean current -- a major climate tipping point -- will shutdown. While the IPCC says the AMOC is unlikely to shutdown this century, a recent paper co-authored by Peter Ditlevsen says we could see the AMOC shutdown around mid-century... and possibly as soon as 2025! Here is the link to the long interview with Peter: https://youtu.be/OYmCWkBwGpg Note: This Lightning Round interview is separate from the long interview and is not an edited version of the long interview. Timestamps: 0:00:46 Peter Ditlevsen’s introduction 0:01:18 What is the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation or AMOC? 0:02:02 How does the AMOC relate to the Gulf Stream? 0:02:52 How does the AMOC affect the way of life in Europe and other places? 0:03:43 What drives the AMOC ocean current? 0:04:31 Has the AMOC collapsed in the past? 0:05:23 How is climate change affecting the AMOC? 0:06:24 It’s hard to measure the past AMOC current directly. How did you study it? 0:07:31 Has the AMOC slowed downed recently? 0:08:58 On our current emissions path, what does your research say about when the AMOC will start shutting down? 0:09:49 Why does the IPCC say the AMOC will not shut down this century? 0:12:50 Why do you think you are correct and the IPCC is wrong? 0:13:14 If the AMOC begins to collapse, how long before it is “shut off”? 0:14:45 What impacts should we expect if it shuts down? 0:16:51 James Hansen says an AMOC shutdown may lead to “multi-meter” (10+ feet) sea level rise this century. Do you agree? 0:18:47 What can we do to try to prevent the AMOC from shutting down? 0:20:49 Can Sunlight Reflection Methods/Solar Radiation Management, ie, solar geoengineering, help prevent AMOC shutdown by refreezing Greenland and stopping fresh water inflow into the North Atlantic? 0:22:38 How should the threat of an AMOC collapse inform the discussion on climate action? 0:25:00 What AMOC questions will your next research paper try to answer? 0:26:51 Wrap up Peter Ditlevsen is a professor of the physics of ice, climate and the Earth at the Neils Bohr Institute at the University of Copenhagen. Peter's home page: https://nbi.ku.dk/english/staff/?pure... Link to Peter's paper on AMOC collapse: https://www.nature.com/articles/s4146... Great PBS explainer on the AMOC: https://youtu.be/f2evaLaDvCI?si=mXcVfmxQkF4w8wEC For more Climate Chat episodes, see our YouTube home page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3BXcpYFCzTndJ9Fisi32qg