Environment

Salt levels in the ocean rise from climate change

by Amy Judd | October 24, 2008 at 11:22 am

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Global warming is causing the salt levels in the oceans to rise, due to different weather patterns on land.

Researchers from the University of Reading looked at the levels of salt in the Atlantic.

Climate change of increased evaporation and less rainfall has increased salt to a level that is outside the natural variability in the subtropical zone.

However, it has not had as much of an impact in the North Atlantic.

This reverses previous fears that fresh water from the melting ice caps is diluting the north seas at such a rate it will reverse the warm Gulf Stream current, leading to a significantly colder climate for Europe - although over the long run the North Atlantic is expected to become less salty.

Peter Stott, head of climate monitoring and attribution at the Met Office and leader of the study, said there is relatively little information on the affect of global warming on the oceans.

He said understanding levels of salt in the ocean could help to project how the climate will change on land.

He said: "Knowing how our oceans are changing over what are essentially vast data-sparse areas is important.