We show that the initiation of declining subarctic Atlantic productivity broadly coincides with the onset of Arctic surface warming, and that productivity strongly covaries with regional sea-surface temperatures and basin-wide gyre circulation strength over recent decades. Taken together, our results suggest that the decline in industrial-era productivity may be evidence of the predicted collapse of northern Atlantic planktonic stocks in response to a weakened Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation. Continued weakening of this Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, as projected for the twenty-first century, may therefore result in further productivity declines across this globally relevant region.
The study was conducted by Matthew B. Osman et al.
Industrial-Era Decline in Subarctic Atlantic Productivity
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