Uncanny Valley | WIRED

The Ocean's Tipping Point


Listen Later

If you haven’t heard of it before, you’re about to become intimately familiar with the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation. This system of currents—which brings water up the Atlantic from the southern tip of South America, through the tropics, and all the way to the coast of Iceland before looping back down south—plays a key role in keeping our planet’s climate stable. It keeps northern European winters relatively mild, it provides nutrients to ocean life, and it brings much-needed rain to agricultural systems in equatorial zones.

Researchers who study the AMOC say this system is showing signs of instability, and it could shut down entirely—and soon. If the current slows down or stops, it would potentially kick off an ecological disaster of epic proportions. Deep cold spells, crushed food systems, entire regions in drought. 

This week, we bring WIRED features editor Sandra Upson onto the show to talk about the AMOC, the research that’s being done on it, and what life would be like on Earth if the current reaches its tipping point. Buckle up. 


Show Notes:

Read “How Soon Will the Atlantic Ocean Break? Two Sibling Scientists Tried to Answer That—and Shook the World,” Sandra Upson’s WIRED feature on the researchers who are studying the AMOC and who have estimated the current could collapse in the next 30 years or so. Read our previous coverage of the AMOC research that kicked off the present debate about when it could reach the tipping point.


Recommendations:

Sandra recommends watching trashy reality shows in a language you’re trying to learn as an informal and entertaining study aid. Mike recommends embracing Brat Summer—IYKYK. Lauren recommends the book The Wave by Susan Casey, which is about the science and joy and terror of big waves.


Sandra Upson can be found on social media @sandraupson. Lauren Goode is @LaurenGoode. Michael Calore is @snackfight. Bling the main hotline at @GadgetLab. The show is produced by Boone Ashworth (@booneashworth). Our theme music is by Solar Keys.

Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Uncanny Valley | WIREDBy WIRED

  • 4.1
  • 4.1
  • 4.1
  • 4.1
  • 4.1

4.1

432 ratings


More shows like Uncanny Valley | WIRED

View all
The Political Scene | The New Yorker by WNYC Studios and The New Yorker

The Political Scene | The New Yorker

3,894 Listeners

The Vergecast by The Verge

The Vergecast

3,675 Listeners

Decoder with Nilay Patel by The Verge

Decoder with Nilay Patel

3,145 Listeners

Pivot by New York Magazine

Pivot

9,336 Listeners

Channels with Peter Kafka by Vox Media Podcast Network

Channels with Peter Kafka

556 Listeners

The Daily by The New York Times

The Daily

111,096 Listeners

Radio Atlantic by The Atlantic

Radio Atlantic

2,240 Listeners

Today, Explained by Vox

Today, Explained

10,137 Listeners

What Next | Daily News and Analysis by Slate Podcasts

What Next | Daily News and Analysis

2,395 Listeners

Post Reports by The Washington Post

Post Reports

5,424 Listeners

WIRED Politics Lab by WIRED

WIRED Politics Lab

234 Listeners

Big Technology Podcast by Alex Kantrowitz

Big Technology Podcast

467 Listeners

Hard Fork by The New York Times

Hard Fork

5,476 Listeners

The Ezra Klein Show by New York Times Opinion

The Ezra Klein Show

15,546 Listeners

Foresight with Greg Williams by WIRED UK

Foresight with Greg Williams

4 Listeners

The WIRED Podcast by WIRED UK

The WIRED Podcast

3 Listeners

The 404 Media Podcast by 404 Media

The 404 Media Podcast

314 Listeners

Elon, Inc. by Bloomberg

Elon, Inc.

150 Listeners

Have A Nice Future | WIRED by WIRED

Have A Nice Future | WIRED

4 Listeners