October 10, 2023 — New research from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution offers the first conclusive evidence that the Gulf Stream has weakened. The powerful ocean current off the East Coast influences regional weather, climate and fisheries, and the finding could have significant implications both for New England and the global climate.
This study “deals with a really, really crucial topic right now,” said Glen Gawarkiewicz, a senior scientist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) who was not involved with the study. He said that a shifting Gulf Stream is already having a profound effect on East Coast fisheries, bringing more warm water fish into the area and disrupting seasonal patterns of fish and squid movement. And it has been unclear whether, or how much, the current is slowing down.”We really need to figure out how and why the Gulf Stream is changing.”
Researchers drew on three sets of long-term measurements in the Florida straits, where the Gulf Stream originates. The study found that the Gulf Stream slowed by 4% over the last forty years.