Science Source
Evidence linking Arctic amplification to extreme weather in mid-latitudes
- States that arctic amplification (AA) – the observed enhanced warming in high northern latitudes relative to the northern hemisphere – is evident in lower-tropospheric temperatures and in 1000-to-500 hPa thicknesses
- Analyzes daily fields of 500 hPa heights from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction Reanalysis over N. America and the N. Atlantic to assess changes in north-south (Rossby) wave characteristics associated with AA and the relaxation of poleward thickness gradients
- Identifies two effects that each contribute to a slower eastward progression of Rossby waves in the upper-level flow: 1) weakened zonal winds, and 2) increased wave amplitude
- Finds that these effects are particularly evident in autumn and winter consistent with sea-ice loss, but are also apparent in summer, possibly related to earlier snow melt on high-latitude land
- Suggests that slower progression of upper-level waves would cause associated weather patterns in mid-latitudes to be more persistent, which may lead to an increased probability of extreme weather events that result from prolonged conditions, such as drought, flooding, cold spells, and heat waves
Related Content
Headline

Feb 24, 2021 | CBS News
Climate change and record cold: What's behind the arctic extremes in Texas
Science Source
| Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres
Atmospheric winter response to Arctic sea ice changes in reanalysis data and model simulations
Ralf Jaiser, Tetsu Nakamura, Dörthe Handorf et al
Science Source
| Nature Communications
Weakening of the stratospheric polar vortex by Arctic sea-ice loss
Baek-Min Kim, Seok-Woo Son, Seung-Ki Min et al
Science Source
| Nature Climate Change
Persistent shift of the Arctic polar vortex towards the Eurasian continent in recent decades
Jiankai Zhang, Wenshou Tian, Martyn P. Chipperfield et al