Gulf stream not slowing

A little while ago I posted an article about how cold the UK was at the time, and suggested that the kind of weather we experienced at the time resembled what the climate of the UK would be without the effects of the Gulf Stream. (http://blog.howtopowertheworld.com/2010/01/its-very-cold-in-britain-is-it-climate.html)

Happily, recent research suggests that the Gulf Stream shows absolutely no sign of slowing.  Please bear in mind that films such as The Day After Tomorrow are complete fantasy.

There is no significant trend in overturning strength between 2002 and 2009. Altimeter data, however, suggest an increase of 2.6 Sv since 1993, consistent with North Atlantic warming during this same period. Despite significant seasonal to interannual fluctuations, these observations demonstrate that substantial slowing of the AMOC did not occur during the past 7 years and is unlikely to have occurred in the past 2 decades.  

Willis, J. K. (2010), Can in situ floats and satellite altimeters detect long‐term changes in Atlantic Ocean overturning?, Geophys. Res. Lett., 37, L06602, doi:10.1029/2010GL042372.

Hurrah.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8589512.stm