Cold winters ahead ?

[qapmoc]

Just saw some news that the gulf stream which keeps northern Europe and especially the UK warm in winter is slowing down.
Apparently the flow has reduced 20% in the last ten years - do you think this will make any difference to the weather in the UK.

[LazyGun]

The scientists who did the report certainly seem to think so, and there does seem some logic to it.... maybe with the slow down of the gulf stream making the UK colder, and global warming and the greenhouse effect making the UK warmer, it will have a net neutral effect :)

[kempie]

I saw the 'breaking news' last night that Global Warming will lead to us having colder winters.

Why is this called news when I can clearly remember being informed 20 years ago that Global Warming will cause us to experience greater extremes of temperature i.e. hotter summers and colder winters?

[CT]

Probably not considered 'breaking news'. Perhaps significant scientific study that increases the evidence in favour of this happening.

[kempie]

...but it was delivered as breaking news during that particular bulletin, with the dumbed-down autocue jockey going as far as explaining that Global Warming will not lead to warm winters.

[CT]

Right now no one knows for certain what will happen, so that not exactly right either. At the moment all we have are theories and trends. At present sea temperatures are up on what they used to be. The oceans are responsible for a large part of the global weather. There is more energy in the system, so there will be more high energy events eg hurricanes etc. (maybe not in the uk). It's all news now, since the recent record breaking hurricane season in the Atlantic, and with climate change conferences going on.

[bernardo]

The theory is that the gulf stream will go slower, move further south, and there will be colder winters in the UK. This theory is not new, but what is new is the recent survey which provides more evidence for it, and which was reported in the news the other day.

[eupraxia]

Are these the same scientist who said that we were going to get weather more like Spains in the coming years. Make your mind up guys. Whats it going to be. Meditterainian weather or Canadian weather.

I'm starting to think they make this stuff up as they go along.