Cross-Text Connections

SAT Reading and Writing· difficulty 4/5

Text 1: Geophysicist Park argues that the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) — the ocean current system that moves warm water northward — is at risk of collapse this century. Slowing has been measured; freshwater input from melting Greenland ice could destabilize the system; the consequences for European climate would be severe.

Text 2: Geophysicist Singh accepts that AMOC is slowing and that collapse would be serious but argues that "this century" outruns current modeling. Confidence intervals around AMOC projections span everything from modest weakening to total collapse; statements assigning a definite collapse date misrepresent the state of knowledge as more settled than it is.

The authors most clearly disagree about

  • A

    whether AMOC affects European climate.

  • B

    whether Greenland ice is melting.

  • C

    whether AMOC is slowing.

  • D

    the degree of confidence warranted in projections of an AMOC collapse this century.

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Explanation

Both accept the slowing and the consequences. They differ on confidence in collapse timelines. B captures the dispute.

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