Until relatively recently‚ there was a bold plan to replenish the shrinking Dead Sea by connecting it to the Red Sea through a pipeline stretching for 177 kilometers (110 miles) through the Middle East. The engineering megaproject was shelved in 2021 amid mounting tensions between Israel‚ Palestine‚ and Jordan. Now‚ with relations in the Middle East looking increasingly dismal‚ it’s unlikely that the pipeline will ever see the light of day – potentially signing a death sentence for the Dead Sea. The pipeline project‚ known as the Red Sea–Dead Sea Conveyance or the Two Seas Canal‚ has been under discussion for decades. The idea was first floated in the 19th century when the British Empire was looking for an alternative to the French-built Suez Canal that opened up a key trade route between Europe‚ Asia‚ and Africa. The first serious discussion came around in 2005‚ when Jordan‚ Israel‚ and the Palestinian Authority signed an agreement to carry out a feasibility study. By 2013‚ the neighbors had agreed to work together on the project.                 The idea was to construct a pipeline that runs northwards from the coastal city of Aqaba on the Red Sea through Jordan to the Lisan area in the Dead Sea. Along the pipeline‚ the water would be passed through numerous desalination plants and a hydroelectric power plant‚ potentially providing much-needed drinking water and electricity to Jordan‚ Israel‚ and Palestine.It would also help to stabilize the ever-dwindling Dead Sea‚ the landlocked salt lake that’s surrounded by Jordan‚ Israel‚ and the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territory of the West Bank. Known for its incredibly salty water‚ the Dead Sea is shrinking at a rapid rate. Over the past 50 years‚ water levels of the Dead Sea have dropped by 45 meters (147 feet) and it continues to drop by about 1 meter (3 feet) each year.Many factors are responsible for the declining fortunes of the Dead Sea‚ but overexploitation of water resources and climate change are often cited as the prime suspects.The Dead Sea lies about 430 meters (1‚410 feet) below sea level‚ making its salty shores the lowest land-based elevation on Earth.Image credit: vvvita/Shutterstock.comDespite the deepening environmental crisis in the Dead Sea‚ the Red Sea–Dead Sea Conveyance has remained a pipe dream. Geopolitical tensions have always riddled the project. It first became a possibility following the Israel–Jordan peace treaty in 1994‚ which ended the state of war that existed between the two countries since the First Arab–Israeli War in 1948. However‚ relations didn’t stay rosy for long. In 2019‚ Jordanian King Abdullah said the relationship between Israel and Jordan was “at an all-time low”. In June 2021‚ Jordan reportedly pulled out of the plan‚ saying there was “no real Israeli desire” for the plan to go ahead. More recently‚ the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict reignited deep distrust in Jordan‚ which is home to many people of Palestinian descent. Against this backdrop‚ it seems unlikely the world will ever see the Red-Dead Canal. What that means for the Dead Sea is uncertain. While most scientists are confident it won’t totally dry up and cease to exist‚ its diminishing water stocks are likely to amplify problems in this troubled part of the planet.

While Hollywood’s vision was over the top‚ the 2004 movie raised a serious question: If global warming shuts down the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation‚ which is crucial for carrying heat from the tropics to the northern latitudes‚ how abrupt and severe would the climate changes be? Twenty years after the movie’s release‚ we know a lot more about the Atlantic Ocean’s circulation. Instruments deployed in the ocean starting in 2004 show that the Atlantic Ocean circulation has observably slowed over the past two decades‚ possibly to its weakest state in almost a millennium. Studies also suggest that the circulation has reached a dangerous tipping point in the past that sent it into a precipitous‚ unstoppable decline‚ and that it could hit that tipping point again as the planet warms and glaciers and ice sheets melt. In a new study using the latest generation of Earth’s climate models‚ we simulated the flow of fresh water until the ocean circulation reached that tipping point. The results showed that the circulation could fully shut down within a century of hitting the tipping point‚ and that it’s headed in that direction. If that happened‚ average temperatures would drop by several degrees in North America‚ parts of Asia and Europe‚ and people would see severe and cascading consequences around the world. We also discovered a physics-based early warning signal that can alert the world when the Atlantic Ocean circulation is nearing its tipping point. The ocean’s conveyor belt Ocean currents are driven by winds‚ tides and water density differences. In the Atlantic Ocean circulation‚ the relatively warm and salty surface water near the equator flows toward Greenland. During its journey it crosses the Caribbean Sea‚ loops up into the Gulf of Mexico‚ and then flows along the U.S. East Coast before crossing the Atlantic. This current‚ also known as the Gulf Stream‚ brings heat to Europe. As it flows northward and cools‚ the water mass becomes heavier. By the time it reaches Greenland‚ it starts to sink and flow southward. The sinking of water near Greenland pulls water from elsewhere in the Atlantic Ocean and the cycle repeats‚ like a conveyor belt. Too much fresh water from melting glaciers and the Greenland ice sheet can dilute the saltiness of the water‚ preventing it from sinking‚ and weaken this ocean conveyor belt. A weaker conveyor belt transports less heat northward and also enables less heavy water to reach Greenland‚ which further weakens the conveyor belt’s strength. Once it reaches the tipping point‚ it shuts down quickly. What happens to the climate at the tipping point? The existence of a tipping point was first noticed in an overly simplified model of the Atlantic Ocean circulation in the early 1960s. Today’s more detailed climate models indicate a continued slowing of the conveyor belt’s strength under climate change. However‚ an abrupt shutdown of the Atlantic Ocean circulation appeared to be absent in these climate models. This is where our study comes in. We performed an experiment with a detailed climate model to find the tipping point for an abrupt shutdown by slowly increasing the input of fresh water. We found that once it reaches the tipping point‚ the conveyor belt shuts down within 100 years. The heat transport toward the north is strongly reduced‚ leading to abrupt climate shifts. The result: Dangerous cold in the North Regions that are influenced by the Gulf Stream receive substantially less heat when the circulation stops. This cools the North American and European continents by a few degrees. The European climate is much more influenced by the Gulf Stream than other regions. In our experiment‚ that meant parts of the continent changed at more than 5 degrees Fahrenheit (3 degrees Celsius) per decade – far faster than today’s global warming of about 0.36 F (0.2 C) per decade. We found that parts of Norway would experience temperature drops of more than 36 F (20 C). On the other hand‚ regions in the Southern Hemisphere would warm by a few degrees. These temperature changes develop over about 100 years. That might seem like a long time‚ but on typical climate time scales‚ it is abrupt. The conveyor belt shutting down would also affect sea level and precipitation patterns‚ which can push other ecosystems closer to their tipping points. For example‚ the Amazon rainforest is vulnerable to declining precipitation. If its forest ecosystem turned to grassland‚ the transition would release carbon to the atmosphere and result in the loss of a valuable carbon sink‚ further accelerating climate change. The Atlantic circulation has slowed significantly in the distant past. During glacial periods when ice sheets that covered large parts of the planet were melting‚ the influx of fresh water slowed the Atlantic circulation‚ triggering huge climate fluctuations. So‚ when will we see this tipping point? The big question – when will the Atlantic circulation reach a tipping point – remains unanswered. Observations don’t go back far enough to provide a clear result. While a recent study suggested that the conveyor belt is rapidly approaching its tipping point‚ possibly within a few years‚ these statistical analyses made several assumptions that give rise to uncertainty. Instead‚ we were able to develop a physics-based and observable early warning signal involving the salinity transport at the southern boundary of the Atlantic Ocean. Once a threshold is reached‚ the tipping point is likely to follow in one to four decades. The climate impacts from our study underline the severity of such an abrupt conveyor belt collapse. The temperature‚ sea level and precipitation changes will severely affect society‚ and the climate shifts are unstoppable on human time scales. It might seem counterintuitive to worry about extreme cold as the planet warms‚ but if the main Atlantic Ocean circulation shuts down from too much meltwater pouring in‚ that’s the risk ahead. RRené van Westen‚ Postdoctoral Researcher in Climate Physics‚ Utrecht University; Henk A. Dijkstra‚ Professor of Physics‚ Utrecht University‚ and Michael Kliphuis‚ Climate Model Specialist‚ Utrecht University This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. The post The real “Day after tomorrow” due to the “tipping point” of the Atlantic appeared first on Anomalien.com.

Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead Game Studios has rolled back a PC patch for the co-op shooter due to some players seeing “significant degradation in performance” after updating the game. While Helldivers 2 has been PlayStation’s biggest Steam launch to date‚ it hasn’t been without its online issues‚ which have stemmed from so many people wanting to get in and play the game with friends. Continue reading Helldivers 2 update rolled back due to “significant degradation” issue MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Helldivers 2 system requirements‚ Steam Deck compatability

Samples of the new Intel Core i9-14900KS CPU look like they’re making their way into people’s hands already‚ as the forthcoming new flagship chip has been spotted in the rankings for the stability stress test OCCT. What’s more‚ this test monitors several system metrics as it runs and‚ to put it bluntly‚ you’re going to need a serious PSU and cooling system for this new CPU. Continue reading Intel’s new flagship CPU reportedly draws over 400W on its own MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Core i5 14600K review‚ Best gaming CPU‚ Core i9 14900K review

We've heard of GPU manufacturers encouraging users to make sure their graphics cards are mounted in the correct orientation before‚ but Japanese card-maker‚ Sycom‚ has taken things to another level. Its new G-Master Hydro RTX 4080 Super includes not one but two spirit levels to help users be sure their card is installed as perfectly as possible. What's more‚ this best graphics card contender is more than just harmoniously horizontal. It also includes both a trio of fans on the Nvidia card and a whole extra 240mm AIO liquid cooler for the GPU‚ which is wafted by two Noctua fans. Continue reading This Nvidia RTX 4080 Super is the most expensive spirit level ever MORE FROM PCGAMESN: GeForce RTX 4070 Super review‚ DLSS explained‚ Best graphics cards

We've already seen some promising early mods released via Nvidia RTX Remix‚ but this latest one tops them all. Need for Speed Underground 2 was the perfect example of a game that could benefit from a lighting rework‚ and other results are impressive so far. As one of the best racing games released on PC‚ it's been 20 long years since Need For Speed Underground 2 was first released‚ and it was a great game aesthetically at the time‚ even if its dark tone was partially technically as well as artistically driven. Now‚ with a fresh coat of Nvidia RTX Remix paint‚ it's impressively restored. Continue reading One of the best racing games ever gets a promising RTX upgrade MORE FROM PCGAMESN: GeForce RTX 4070 Super review‚ DLSS explained‚ Best graphics cards

I’m almost scared of GTA 6. I look at Grand Theft Auto 5‚ and how it’s totally reshaped games and gaming culture‚ and I get the sense that the sequel is going to be so big‚ so tectonic‚ it’s going to create a whole new paradigm. There will be games as we know them before GTA 6‚ and games as we know them after GTA 6‚ and a new standard for the sandbox and open-world genres. Essentially‚ I’m excited. We all are. Six years since the launch of Red Dead Redemption 2‚ we now know for sure that Rockstar’s work on Grand Theft Auto 6 is well underway. Given that the first one has amassed 175 million views‚ a new GTA 6 trailer would likely cause some kind of electrical rupture in YouTube’s servers. For a moment‚ it seemed Rockstar had something on the way. Unfortunately‚ we’re going to have to wait a little longer. Continue reading New GTA 6 trailer isn’t coming as soon as we hoped MORE FROM PCGAMESN: GTA 6 release date‚ Best open-world games‚ GTA 5 cheats

Human ingenuity‚ not global climate initiatives‚ will promote prosperity and secure our future.

Successful experiments in civic education at public universities point the way forward for beleaguered institutions such as those in the Ivy League.

The state’s ‘fiscal guardrails’ have kept its finances from deteriorating further. Naturally‚ public-employee unions want them gone.