Astudy published in science notes that water flowing from the atlantic ocean into the arctic is warmer than it's been in 2,000 years. scientists believe that this increased heat input has far-reaching consequences to life on earth. u. s. and european scientists studied the fram strait branch of the north atlantic current, the ocean current that carries heat north from the tropics. by studying tiny-shelled organisms called foraminifera found deep in the ocean floor, they could chart temperatures going back 2,000 years. from their findings, scientists reported that the water has warmed about 2o c since the late 1800's. we would expect warmer northern atlantic currents to have all but one of these consequences on earth.