NOW IT'S CAPTAIN OZONE VS. NEPTUNE:

Data on Atlantic flow are undercut: A perceived slowdown in circulation, linked to global warming, may actually have been normal variations in the flow pattern. (Alan Zarembo, August 17, 2007, Los Angeles Times)

A massive ocean circulation pattern that plays a crucial role in shaping the world's climate may not have been slowing down over the last few decades as scientists previously believed, according to a study released Thursday.

The perceived slowdown had been considered alarming support for computer predictions that global warming would disrupt the planet's heat regulation.

In a single year of measurements, published in today's issue of the journal Science, the scientists found enough normal variation in the pattern to suggest that previous studies were premature in asserting a long-term trend.

If only Al Gore were president today, he'd spin the oceans faster.

Posted by Orrin Judd at August 17, 2007 11:24 AM