For an update on the ocean circulation model controversy see “Ocean Conveyor Belt Dismissed.” Oceanographers have finally accepted that their old model is outdated and incorrect. Quoting from the new post:

After nearly 50 years of acceptance, the theory that a great ocean “conveyor belt” continuously circulates water around the globe in an orderly fashion has been dismissed by a leading oceanographer. According to a review article in the journal Science, a number of studies conducted over the past few years have challenged this paradigm.