Q. Consider the following statements regarding Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC):
1. It carries warm surface waters from the tropics towards the Equator.
2. Melting of glaciers weakens this circulation.
3. It is distributed to all ocean basins via the Antarctic circumpolar current.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
Answer: B
Notes:
- Statement 1 is incorrect: AMOC carries warm surface waters from the tropics towards the Northern Hemisphere, where it cools and sinks. It then returns to the tropics and then to the South Atlantic as a bottom current. From there it is distributed to all ocean basins via the Antarctic circumpolar current.
- Statement 2 is correct: Researchers have found that a part of the Arctic’s ice called the “Last Ice Area” has also melted. The freshwater from the melting ice reduces the salinity and density of the water. Now, the water is unable to sink as it used to and weakens the AMOC flow.
- Statement 3 is correct
Source: Article
