Atlantic exceptionalism in the twentieth century

Nature Climate Change, Published online: 10 April 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-026-02608-xThe North Atlantic is exceptional in cooling during the twentieth century while the world warmed. Here we look back on an influential 2015 study that linked this cooling to a weakening of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation and consider the wider implications that this may have for climate, ecosystems and society.