Alarm over dramatic weakening of Gulf Stream

"The powerful ocean current that bathes Britain and northern Europe in warm waters from the tropics has weakened dramatically in recent years, a consequence of global warming that could trigger more severe winters and cooler summers across the region, scientists warn today."

If I didn't know better, I'd say someone has been watching too much of "The Day after Tomorrow," where the same scenario causes a mass ice age to hit the civilized world.

It's a scenario designed to drive panic into the hearts and minds of Britains electorate - witness, "If the current remains as weak as it is, temperatures in Britain are likely to drop by an average of 1C in the next decade, according to Harry Bryden at the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton who led the study. "Models show that if it shuts down completely, 20 years later, the temperature is 4C to 6C degrees cooler over the UK and north-western Europe," Dr Bryden said."

Yet - here's the clincher, folks - selected quotes from the SAME article (emphasis mine):
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- Although climate records suggest that the current has ground to a halt in the distant past, the prospect of it shutting down entirely within the century are extremely low, according to climate modellers.

- According to climate modellers, the drop in temperature caused by a slowing of the Atlantic current will, in the long term, be swamped by a more general warming of the atmosphere.

- "If this was happening in the absence of generally increasing temperatures, I would be concerned," said Dr Smith
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You know what happens when a 4 year old starts desperately looking for the monsters in her closet? She's likely to find them.