Science Source

D. Coumou, G. Di Capua, S. Vavrus, L. Wang, S. Wang

Nature Communications

Published date August 20, 2018

The influence of Arctic amplification on mid-latitude summer circulation

States that most studies analyzing Arctic links to mid-latitude weather focused on winter, yet recent summers have seen strong reductions in sea-ice extent and snow cover, a weakened equator-to-pole thermal gradient and associated weakening of the mid-latitude circulation
Reviews the scientific evidence behind three leading hypotheses on the influence of Arctic changes on mid-latitude summer weather: Weakened storm tracks, shifted jet streams, and amplified quasi-stationary waves
Shows that interactions between Arctic teleconnections and other remote and regional feedback processes could lead to more persistent hot-dry extremes in the mid-latitudes
Concludes that the exact nature of these non-linear interactions is not well quantified but they provide potential high-impact risks for society