The Plot Of The Movie ‘The Day After Tomorrow’ Might Be Becoming A Reality

This is NOT the year for disaster movie plots to become a reality. What’s next, a zombie apocalypse?

In a paper published recently, climate scientist Niklas Boers found that the Atlantic Ocean’s Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) system which is a vital part of how all the oceans function, is on the verge of shutting off due to human-caused climate change. This could result in a wave of freezing temperatures in Europe and North America for thousands of years to follow.

Seems like 2020 and now 2021 are the years when movie prophecies come to life, starting with the 2011 movie “Contagion” which more or less predicted the ongoing pandemic and now the storyline of 2004’s apocalypse thriller “Day After Tomorrow” becoming more realistic with the on-going climate changes.

The AMOC is responsible for circulating warm and denser saltwater from the tropics to northern Europe and Greenland via the Atlantic Ocean, where it cools down and makes its way back along the ocean floor. Without the proper functioning of this system, most of North America’s East Coast and Europe might have to face ice-age freezing temperatures.

The plot of “Day After Tomorrow” follows a similar story where climatologist Jack Hall warns everyone they could be headed into an ice age due to the drastic climate changes. Oceanographers also notice an abrupt cooling in the Atlantic Ocean which triggers superstorms and eventually freezes the whole of New York City. While the movie is a tad bit dramatic, the research still serves as a warning sign that the drastic effects of climate change could pose some serious consequences in the future. “If the AMOC were to collapse, it would indeed be very hard to bring it back,” commented Boers.