See the ocean changing.
Explore a changing ocean through maps, photographs and science • from the Atlantic to the poles.
Ocean temperature · Currents · Waves · Wind · Salinity · Seabed · Marine life
See the ocean changing.
Explore a changing ocean through maps, photographs and science • from the Atlantic to the poles.
The atlantic briefing · fortnightly
Next briefing planned · Subject to review
Published 22 Oct 2026 · Outlook issued 21 Oct · Covers Nov 2026–Jan 2027
El Niño shifts the Atlantic winter outlook.
Dec2026Forecast El Niño peakPacific climate driver · Atlantic seasonal outlook
El Niño is strengthening in the Pacific, with a peak forecast around December. WMO’s 21 October outlook favours above-average tropical Atlantic sea temperatures for November–January. The Met Office says El Niño can raise the likelihood of wetter, windier conditions in the UK during late autumn and early winter. These are seasonal probabilities, not predictions of individual storms; a quieter hurricane season does not mean a storm-free winter.
Outline: briefing patch. The selected reading is one grid cell; the briefing average covers the whole patch.
NOAA OISST v2.1 · native 0.25° grid · anomaly baseline 1971–2000
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Privacy & cookiesSea areas & official forecasts
Choose a region to show its reference point on the map. Readings are for that point, not the whole area.
Official forecasts open on the Met Office or WMO website and are separate from our map readings. Reference lines are approximate; this map is for exploration, not navigation.
Blank or masked areas mean no data, not zero. Readings represent a grid cell; zoom adds no scientific detail.
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Follow the Atlantic to its polar connections.
Explore the seabed · Depth, relief & sediments
Explore the ridges, shelves and deep basins beneath the Atlantic. Open this section to load detailed maps.
Map services load when this section opens.
Tap the map for a source depth.
Drag to pan; pinch or use + and − to zoom. Tap for a reading. Keyboard: focus the map, use arrows to pan and +/− to zoom, then choose “Read map centre”.
Explore this location in OpenSeaMap ↗
Depth colour key
Source colour key for the detailed EMODnet layer. Relief shading changes brightness. The wider global background has its own terrain styling.
Sediment colour key · BGS
Original BGS classifications and colours. Sediment type alone does not identify which species live here.
Sources, coverage & accuracy
EMODnet DTM 2024 provides detailed regional bathymetry at approximately 115 m grid spacing. Some areas use GEBCO estimates; grid spacing is not survey accuracy. The global relief background uses an older EMODnet / GEBCO compilation. Zooming loads additional imagery, up to the source detail available.
Depth readings come from the EMODnet mean-depth service, not our former 0.1° sampled grid. They are rounded to a metre for display; this does not imply metre accuracy. EMODnet depths are referenced to Lowest Astronomical Tide where available; source references vary, including in GEBCO-filled areas. These are compiled reference maps, not live soundings or navigation charts.
BGS sediment mapping covers the UK Continental Shelf at 1:250,000 scale. Blank areas are unclassified in this layer. Map services and point readings require an internet connection; an unavailable service is reported separately from missing coverage.
EMODnet tile edition: 2024. Service configuration checked 16 September 2026. Survey dates vary. Contains British Geological Survey materials © UKRI 2026.
EMODnet depth sources ↗ · BGS offshore viewer ↗ · BGS data & licence ↗
UNDERSTANDING THE AMOC
A circulation that shapes climate.
The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) carries warm water northwards in the upper ocean and colder water southwards at depth. It redistributes heat, influencing regional temperatures, rainfall and sea level. Met Office ↗
Simplified circulation pathways — explanatory illustration, not live data. Global circulation context; not every pathway shown is part of the AMOC.
Red arrows show warm surface flow; dashed navy arrows show cold deep flow. Arrows show direction, not speed or volume. Open full-size diagram Swipe across the diagram to explore.
Adapted from ESA · Credits & licence
How the circulation works
Surface movement. Deeper connections.
Winds and Earth’s rotation shape large surface currents and ocean gyres. Cooling and salinity changes can make water dense enough to sink; winds and mixing also help sustain the ocean’s overturning circulation.
This simplified “conveyor belt” shows connections between ocean basins. Real currents branch, swirl and change. It does not show every current, its present strength or a journey along one continuous route.
AMOC means Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation: the Atlantic part of this wider system, involving both upper and deep water. Our currents map shows modelled surface flow; it does not measure AMOC strength.
What the observations show
AMOC transport at 26.5°N · RAPID
Historical published record — not a live reading.
Estimated overturning transport at 26.5°N. The thin line is the published record; the bold line is a trailing one-year average. 1 Sv is one million cubic metres per second. Uncertainty is not plotted.
Short-term variability alone does not establish a collapse or a long-term trend.
The Atlantic over time
Explore temperature, stored ocean heat and coastal sea level alongside atmospheric patterns and the published circulation record. Each chart has its own dates, area and sources.
Loading historical records…
Atmospheric contextNorth Atlantic Oscillation
A pressure pattern that helps shape weather across the North Atlantic. The bars show its daily index, not a local weather forecast.
Daily index · orange: positive · blue: negative
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Keep the Atlantic visible
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