The University of Liverpool, in collaboration with several research institutes, is leading a new research project to explore the impact of the Gulf Stream on the climate system through the transport of nutrients and carbon. The project, which is funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and the US National Science Foundation (NSF), is worth £3.7 million.

The research team will use sensors located in the fast-flowing waters moving through Florida Straits and autonomous vehicles roaming the upper 2,000 miles of the Atlantic basin to measure nutrient and carbon levels, and the amount of turbulence in the Gulf Stream. Then, they will use the latest state-of-the-art ocean and climate models to analyze the data and understand how the Gulf Stream current affects the transport of nutrients and carbon, and if it enhances or inhibits the uptake of carbon dioxide by the ocean.

The Gulf Stream, originating at the tip of Florida, is responsible for milder winters in Europe by transporting heat over the Atlantic basin. However, the role it plays in the strength and pattern of carbon uptake over the North Atlantic is unknown.

Professor Ric Williams, Chair in Ocean and Climate Sciences at the University of Liverpool, and co-lead of the University of Liverpool’s Climate Futures research theme, will lead the program. He said:

“We know that the Gulf Stream is important for supplying heat to higher latitudes and leading to a warmer European climate. However, we need to better understand the role of the Gulf Stream on the carbon cycle given that the ocean takes up nearly 25% of the extra carbon emitted to the atmosphere.”

The natural carbon sinks in the ocean and land are thought to be becoming less effective in taking up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This ocean and land carbon uptake ultimately affects how much carbon dioxide remains in the atmosphere and so affects how much our climate system continues to warm, including determining whether there is continued warming when we reach net zero.