Day After Tomorrow

Researchers at the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton, UK, have found a 30% reduction in warm currents that carry water north from the Gulf Stream. This finding has been long predicted as a possible consequence of global warming, and predictions have further warned that such an outcome could plunge Europe into a mini-ice age. The researchers are unsure if their findings suggest a short-term change, or if this is a trend that will continue for the long-term.

Meanwhile, at the UN Climate Change Conference in Montreal, Australia and the United States remain unconvinced that global warming is actually happening, and don't see the need to ratify the Kyoto Protocol.

Related reading:

• Ocean Slides -- visual guides to ocean circulation.
  
• Temperature of the Gulf Stream -- from NASA's Visible Earth site.
  

The Gulf Stream, courtesy of NASA.