There is something anomalous in our seas that could have significant repercussions on the climate of Spain in the coming weeks and, perhaps, for years to come. The Mediterranean Sea is already recording surface temperatures significantly higher than the seasonal average at the beginning of May. This is a thermal anomaly that generates concern, since the temperature increase implies greater potential energy for intense storms, torrential rains and extreme events.
But there is more. Experts are not only concerned about the sea that surrounds us, but also about what is happening much further west, in the Atlantic Ocean, along the well-known Gulf Stream.
This warm current, which transports large amounts of thermal energy from the shores of the Gulf of Mexico to Europe, is one of the main drivers of our continent’s climate. However, it is here that we observe new and potentially disturbing signalsrecent thermal maps show vast areas of cold anomalies in the North Atlantic between Newfoundland and Greenland. These are waters that are too cold, in stark contrast to what has been observed further south, where warm anomalies persist.
This thermal “checkerboard” indicates a possible slowdown of the Gulf Stream or, worse, an alteration of its trajectory. The vortex dislocations that normally develop along the flow are less regular and, where a climate mitigation effect might be expected, signs of anomalous cooling are observed instead.
¿What does all this mean for the European climate? It is still too early to know for sure. A weakening of the Gulf Stream could cause a radical change in the atmospheric circulation of the Old Continent, making off-season cold phases more frequent or, on the contrary, favoring the permanence of blocking structures with prolonged warmth or drought.
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