Are Hurricanes Putting the Brakes on the Gulf Stream?

Last fall’s hurricanes did more than cause catastrophic damage to homes and businesses in Florida and the Caribbean – new research shows they had a measurable effect on the Gulf Stream, one of the world’s largest ocean currents.

Researchers from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts have learned that hurricanes Jose and Maria acted as surprisingly powerful brakes on its flow. They launched an ocean glider from Miami in September and the vessel traveled at speeds of just over half a mile per hour for about three months to arrive at Martha’s Vineyard, Mass. Data from the glider showed that the Gulf Stream slowed significantly, by 25-40%, surprising researchers. They attribute this trend to hurricane winds blowing opposite to the direction of the current. Interestingly, this slowdown didn’t occur just at the ocean’s surface. From data collected at different depths, scientists found that the slowdown persisted throughout the water column.

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