For years, the story about Atlantic Ocean currents has been one of slowdown, which will cause irreversible change. A new NOAA study complicates it.

Researchers at NOAA's Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) and the University of Miami analyzed 31 years of continuous satellite measurements and found the Gulf Stream weakened for a decade and then sped up for about a decade.

Where this happened

The Gulf Stream is a warm ocean current that originates around the Gulf and Caribbean and pushes warm water to the North Atlantic and Europe. But the behavior of the Gulf Stream was not uniform.

Shenfu Dong, an oceanographer at NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, mentioned that the shift was "far more dynamic than a simple slowdown narrative."

Long story short, one of the segments of the Gulf Stream, the current upstream leg that moves between Florida and the Bahamas, stayed consistent. But when the stream separates from the coast and runs free in the open Atlantic, that is where the speed-up occurs.

What's driving it

Broad, large-scale wind patterns across the subtropical North Atlantic strengthened the Gulf Stream. These winds increased across the region near the Gulf Stream. This matters because the stream is a part of a large circulation of currents in the North Atlantic, called a gyre.

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Why it matters

All this talk of ocean currents may seem small, but trust me, a lot is going on beneath the surface. And while the Gulf Stream is responsible for weather patterns shifting, it also may impact your budget. 

The Gulf Stream speeding up can make seafood harder to obtain, which means your wallets may feel the impact the next time we try to enjoy our favorites.

Take lobster fishing off the coast of New England. 

Some studies have linked the Gulf Stream to the rapid warming of the Gulf of Maine, which has warmed faster than almost any ocean region on Earth. 

That warming has already reshaped New England fisheries: Lobster populations have decreased in southern New England while expanding sharply to the north, where waters are cooler.

This is one of the factors that can greatly impact seafood availability. 

But the Gulf Stream can impact the weather in the region as well, which can also make seafood more expensive. 

A faster current carries more warm water north, which warms the upper ocean and releases more heat into the atmosphere above it. You can have areas of low pressure steering toward and tapping into warm waters farther north than usual, which can impact the Northeast’s fishing industry with more significant impacts.

It also influences sea level along the U.S. East Coast. Surge increases with a warmer Gulf Stream, which can lead to more coastal inundation and flooding for coastal communities. Beaches can change and be eroded, which can lead to more houses falling into the sea. 

It's a piece of a bigger picture

The Gulf Stream is also a component of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, or AMOC. The AMOC is a system of currents that bring warm and cold water to certain parts of the world. The Gulf Stream’s role is to push the warm water north.

As the water moves north, it cools and forms sea ice. This sea ice leaves salt behind in the ocean water. This eventually makes the water denser, causing it to sink below the surface. It is eventually brought back to the surface and warms in a process called upwelling.

Studies will continue to occur to see long term impacts for this region as the speed of warm and cold ocean current change.