Researchers sound alarm over controversial plan to block ocean currents: 'Unlikely to be socially acceptable'
Susan Elizabeth Turek
Mon, October 6, 2025 at 9:15 PM EDT
Researchers sound alarm over controversial plan to block ocean currents: 'Unlikely to be socially acceptable'
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience.
Generate Key Takeaways
Could geoengineering save coastal communities from rising sea levels? Researchers warn one proposal gaining steam could leave them worse off than they were to begin with.
What's happening?
The 10 warmest years on record have all occurred over the past 10 years, and sea levels are rising at an unprecedented rate as glaciers melt and water volume increases as a result of thermal expansion, as data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reveals.
Complicating matters is the fact that the warmer atmosphere also holds more moisture, thereby amplifying the intensity of extreme weather events such as hurricanes. This, along with sea level rise, is a dangerous mix for coastal communities, leading to more severe and deadly storm surges.
While habitat restoration and preservation are tools to help protect against storms when they do occur, some scientists propose drastic steps to address the main cause of glacial melting, per the American Geophysical Union: building underwater barriers to limit warm currents from flowing beneath ice shelves and continuing to accelerate sea level rise.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/researchers-sound-alarm-over-controversial-011500823.html