Researchers will investigate the North Atlantic's proximity to a critical tipping point.

The University of Southampton and the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) are spearheading the project, set to receive £5 million from the Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA).

The funds will be utilised to deploy autonomous profiling floats to gather data on ocean mixing within the North Atlantic Subpolar Gyre.

This region plays a significant role in global ocean circulation and climate regulation.

The project, known as Polemix, is part of ARIA's £81 million Forecasting Tipping Points programme, which aims to boost climate change response by creating an early warning system for tipping points.

Doctor Bieito Fernandez Castro, a lecturer in Physical Oceanography at the University of Southampton who is leading the POLEMIX project, said: "If this mixing or convection weakens—for example, due to excess freshwater from melting Greenland ice - the SPG could slow down or even collapse, triggering disruptions in weather, sea level, and global ocean circulation.

"The UK and northern Europe could experience much harsher winters, similar to parts of Canada, while the East coast of the USA could see dramatic sea level rises due to changes in ocean circulation."

The North Atlantic Subpolar Gyre, a vast system of rotating ocean currents, transports heat from the tropics, helping regulate temperatures in Europe and North America.

It also supports the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, a crucial part of the global ocean conveyor belt that redistributes heat and nutrients globally.

Ocean mixing, which involves the movement and blending of waters through turbulence, winds, tides, and temperature and salinity differences, is vital for the gyre's circulation.

Robotic devices will collect continuous data as they move through the ocean. This information will then be used in advanced ocean and climate models to improve their accuracy.