rationalskepticism.org

bit_pattern wrote:40 times the water carried by the Amzon, that's a LOT of water

Scientists measure massive ocean current

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"The current carries about 8 million cubic metres per second of water to the north and that's about the equivalent 40 times the flow of the world's largest river," says Rintoul.

That's 80 Sverdrups, about half the amount the Gulf Stream does at it's maximum (a surface current of course, so it's probably easier to go fast).

Such currents are important in revitalising the oceans with oxygen. They also affect the climate system because they determine how much heat and CO2 are stored and transported by the ocean.

The slower the current the less heat and carbon dioxide they can transport.

I've been wondering about the heat transport for a while. Sea ice formation is, if not the main then a major dirver of deep water formation; the other factor being strong winds causing evaporation. Both cause the water to cool, probably to zero degrees C, and in some cases below. How much variation in heat storage can occor under these circumstances?

I've heard a few deniers propose that the current warming is simply the heat of the MWP upwelling again after 800 years (the time Global Circulation takes to do a full circuit). This seems highly unlikely to be a factor.