Cold Blob Signals AMOC Slowdown as US Cuts Sensors
June 12, 2026
The Trump administration's dismantling of US ocean monitoring networks strips visibility from the Atlantic and Pacific just as a cooling "cold blob" off Greenland signals an AMOC slowdown and models forecast a super El Niño driving record ocean temperatures. These cuts to public sensing infrastructure converge with accelerating climate feedback loops to blind governance against disruptions in marine ecosystems and weather extremes, leaving fisheries, coral reefs, and regional stability exposed as the material data required to anticipate shocks is systematically removed.
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Cuts to US ocean programme will hinder monitoring of El Niño and AMOC
Scientists warn that the Trump administration's push to dismantle a vital network of ocean-sensing instruments will stymie crucial weather and climate monitoring in the Pacific and Atlantic
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Mysterious ‘cold blob’ in the Atlantic suggests the AMOC is weakening
A patch of ocean south-east of Greenland is the only place on Earth that is cooling, and it could be a sign that the warm water "conveyor belt" in the Atlantic is slowing down
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The looming El Niño could be bad – but much worse is to come
Global warming will amplify the impacts of El Niño events, and could also make them much stronger and more far-reaching
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El Niño has started and the weather could get weird
Global weather agencies have declared that El Niño has begun, and models show it is more likely than not to be a "super" El Niño. The climate pattern boosts extreme weather around the world, and could lead to record temperatures
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El Niño is back, and ocean temperatures are already near record highs – that can spell disaster for fish and corals
It’s official: El Niño is back. By late fall 2026, forecast models give a 2-in-3 chance of a strong-to-very strong El Niño affecting the weather, climate and ocean temperatures across the planet. El Niño is the climate system’s biggest player and one side of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation, or ENSO…
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Is It a Super El Niño Year? It Could Turn the World’s Weather Upside Down
From a wet winter in the Southwest to fewer Atlantic hurricanes, this is what to expect as a potential super El Niño takes shape.