Underwater ‘nuclear reactor’ fuels Gulf Stream flow

A “NUCLEAR reactor” one mile beneath the Atlantic ocean helps to maintain Ireland’s mild climate, scientists have discovered.

The Mid-Atlantic Ridge, an undersea mountain range that crosses the centre of the Atlantic, is one of the most turbulent places on Earth.

Researchers found that water surges through its narrow passages with an energy of five million watts — equivalent to the output of a small nuclear reactor.

The currents mix icy cold water from the ocean bottom with warmer water from the surface, said the scientists.

This helps control the strength of the Gulf Stream, which keeps Ireland relatively warm.

Without the Gulf Stream, Ireland would be as cold as Labrador in Canada, which is the same distance from the equator.

French and US scientists measured ocean floor turbulence at a location close to the Azores using an instrument fitted with sensors.

The islands were formed from a part of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge which rose above the ocean surface.

An energy level of one tenth of a watt per cubic metre of seawater was recorded in the undersea passage.

Dr Louis St Laurent, one of the researchers from Florida State University, in Tallahassee USA, compared the flow of seawater through underwater gullies in the Mid-Atlantic Ridge to wind gusting between tall buildings or mountain sides on land.

“The overall balance between warm and cold water in the Atlantic helps control the strength of the Gulf Stream, which moves heat away from the Earth’s equator toward regions that receive much less heating from the sun’s rays,” said Dr St Laurent.

He said the work should result in better models for predicting how oceans affect the climate and understanding events that shape weather patterns, such as El Nino.