Penn State researchers report that the link between the North Atlantic “cold blob” (also called the North Atlantic warming hole) and the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is more complex and phase- dependent than previously assumed.

The North Atlantic “cold blob” (also called the North Atlantic warming hole) is a region south and southeast of Greenland that has cooled or lagged substantially behind global ocean warming over the past century (by up to ~1– 1.8°F / ~0.5– 1°C in some estimates).