Atlantic Ocean is headed for a tipping point

Tipping points in the climate system are a tricky beast. For one thing, tipping point sounds almost cute, when they indeed are points of no return with catastrophic consequences for humanity. Secondly, they mess with our sense of linearity: Even when things get worse, we expect them to get gradually worse. But when you walk towards a cliff, one step too much means things get worse in a rather non-gradual way. And third, even with ever improving prediction models, tipping points still come with a high level of uncertainty, which makes them easier to dismiss than other climate related bad news. A new study has found that one such tipping point might be closer than previously thought, and once reached will unfold more quickly than previously thought, with enormous consequences, especially for Europe. In The Conversation the authors of the study themselves present their findings and what they mean.