The Gulf Stream plays a significant role in maintaining the climate of the US East Coast and Western Europe. “We conclude with a high degree of confidence that Gulf Stream transport has indeed slowed by about 4% in the past 40 years.” The full study is Here
Ice from Greenland and Canada is melting and flowing into the northern North Atlantic, slowing down the Gulf Stream. This is quite well known in the climate community, which might be why the article did not explicitly say it.