User:Coldcaller

A scientific phrase used to explain the recent phenomenon of the gradual cooling of the Gulf Stream. The phrase comes from the noted effect of heat exchange in the blood flow in the reindeer's body. In order to conserve warmth, the blood flowing ethrough the legs of a reindeer is considerably colder than that of the rest of it's body. This is achieved by a heat exchange system; see http://library.thinkquest.org/3500/caribou.html for more details. This effect has been used to describe the recently discovered cooling of the Gulf Stream while the original equatorial currents have remained of the same temperature. Over the last 20 years the temperature of the Gulf Stream (passing from the coast of South America up through the Atlantic and past the British Isles) has been studied by scientists in Scotland. A recent report, published by both the Scientific Institute for Climate Research and Greenpeace, states that the temperature of the Gulf Stream near Scotland has dropped by three degrees celsius over twenty years and by two degrees over the last ten years. This accelerated cooling has been attributed to the melting of the arctic ice shelf but is disputed by many scientists, mostly in America, where the report has been met with some incredulity. See the Greenpeace website for a full version of the report.