The Reading / Listening - Ocean Currents - Level 5

The system of ocean currents responsible for maintaining temperate weather worldwide could collapse. Experts say the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) could fail within 50 years. AMOC brings heat from the Caribbean to the northern Atlantic Ocean. Oceanographers say AMOC has been weakening for decades because of global warming. The northern Atlantic is the only region in the world that is cooling. Experts once believed there was a 10 per cent chance of AMOC crossing the tipping point this century. However, they now say there is a 50/50 possibility.

Meteorologists say the failure of AMOC would lead to "devastating and irreversible impacts which will affect the entire world for centuries to come". It would disrupt global weather and negatively affect the lives of hundreds of millions of people. Scientists predict that temperatures in the U.K. could become 15°C lower. Colder weather could "potentially threaten the viability of agriculture" in Europe. Furthermore, tropical monsoons could shift southwards, causing drought and famine. This will create huge numbers of climate refugees and escalate geopolitical tensions.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Ocean Currents - Level 4 or  Ocean Currents - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/oct/23/we-dont-know-where-the-tipping-point-is-climate-expert-on-potential-collapse-of-atlantic-circulation
  • https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/rivers-oceans/we-dont-really-consider-it-low-probability-anymore-collapse-of-key-atlantic-current-could-have-catastrophic-impacts-says-oceanographer-stefan-rahmstorf
  • https://www.msn.com/en-ph/news/other/the-gulf-stream-is-on-the-verge-of-collapsing-climate-scientists-warn/ar-AA1sLW3Z


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. the system of ocean
  2. responsible for maintaining temperate
  3. fail within 50
  4. AMOC brings heat from
  5. AMOC has been weakening
  6. the only region in the world that
  7. crossing the
  8. there is a 50/50
  1. tipping point
  2. the Caribbean
  3. possibility
  4. weather
  5. is cooling
  6. years
  7. for decades
  8. currents

Paragraph 2

  1. devastating and
  2. affect the entire
  3. for centuries
  4. threaten the viability
  5. tropical
  6. causing drought
  7. huge numbers of climate
  8. geopolitical
  1. of agriculture
  2. tensions
  3. monsoons
  4. to come
  5. refugees
  6. world
  7. and famine
  8. irreversible impacts

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

The system of (1) ________________________________________________ for maintaining temperate weather (2) ________________________________________________. Experts say the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) could fail within 50 years. AMOC brings heat from the Caribbean                              (3) ________________________________________________ Atlantic Ocean. Oceanographers say AMOC has been (4) ________________________________________________ because of global warming. The northern Atlantic is the only region in the world           (5) ________________________________________________. Experts once believed there was a 10 per cent chance of AMOC (6) ________________________________________________ point this century. However, they now say there is a 50/50 possibility.

Meteorologists say the failure of AMOC would lead to "devastating (7) ________________________________________________ which will affect the entire world for (8) ________________________________________________". It would disrupt global weather and negatively affect the lives of hundreds of millions of people. Scientists (9) ________________________________________________ in the U.K. could become 15°C lower. Colder weather could "(10) ________________________________________________ viability of agriculture" in Europe. Furthermore, tropical monsoons could shift southwards, causing (11) ________________________________________________. This will create huge numbers of climate refugees and (12) ________________________________________________.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Thesystemofoceancurrentsresponsibleformaintainingtemperatewe
atherworldwidecouldcollapse.ExpertssaytheAtlanticMeridionalOver
turningCirculation(AMOC)couldfailwithin50years.AMOCbringsheatf
romtheCaribbeantothenorthernAtlanticOcean.Oceanographerssay
AMOChasbeenweakeningfordecadesbecauseofglobalwarming.Then
orthernAtlanticistheonlyregionintheworldthatiscooling.Expertsonce
believedtherewasa10percentchanceofAMOCcrossingthetippingpoin
tthiscentury.However,theynowsaythereisa50/50possibility.Meteor
ologistssaythefailureofAMOCwouldleadto"devastatingandirreversib
leimpactswhichwillaffecttheentireworldforcenturiestocome".Itwoul
ddisruptglobalweatherandnegativelyaffectthelivesofhundredsofmill
ionsofpeople.ScientistspredictthattemperaturesintheU.K.couldbec
ome15°Clower.Colderweathercould"potentiallythreatentheviability
ofagriculture"inEurope.Furthermore,tropicalmonsoonscouldshiftso
uthwards,causingdroughtandfamine.Thiswillcreatehugenumbersof
climaterefugeesandescalategeopoliticaltensions.

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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