science

Arctic SHOCK: Melting ice caps are fuelling EXTREME weather across the US


Arctic sea ice thickness, coverage and volume has been decimated over the last four decades, as man-made climate change continues. Old sea ice used to compromise 30 percent of all the sea ice within the Arctic Ocean, but today almost all of the older sea ice is gone, replaced by fresher, thinner ice more susceptible to climate change. Now, a new study has warned of a link between vanishing sea ice coverage and an increasing incidence of deadly summer heat waves across the southern US.

A new study has explored how seasonal sea ice coverage fluctuations are triggering changes in atmospheric circulation patterns in climates characterised by long winters and short summers.

The study examined 40 years of satellite data of Arctic sea ice coverage collected, cross referenced with data showing heat wave frequency in the US over the same period.

And the researchers found a strong statistical relationship between the extent of summer sea ice in the Hudson Bay and heat waves across the southeastern US.

Dr Dagmar Budikova, a climatologist at Illinois State University, and the study’s lead author said: ”The latest research on this topic suggests that declining Arctic sea ice may be linked to increased incidence of extreme weather patterns across the northern hemisphere.

”Our results confirm this hypothesis by offering further evidence that Arctic sea ice variability has the potential to influence extreme summer temperatures and the frequency of heat waves across the southern US.”

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And Dr Budikova believes a better understanding of the physical relationships could allow scientists to better forecast heat wave-prone summers.

She said: ”If Arctic sea ice continues to decline as predicted, then we could expect more summer heat waves across the southern US in the future.”

The study has revealed the loss of Arctic sea ice begins with warmer-than-usual spring temperatures in the southeastern Canadian Arctic.

Dr Budikova said: “This process starts when temperatures across the southeastern Canadian Arctic and northwestern Atlantic are 2 degrees [Celsius] warmer than expected in March, April and May.”

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This springtime warming lessens the north-to-south change in temperature between the high and middle latitudes of eastern North America, leading to a reduction in the strength of regional wind patterns.

These conditions are the consequence of weakened large-scale movements of air that appear to continue into the summer months.

The weakened circulation affects the jet stream, leading to the formation of persistent high-pressure systems over the southern US.

And the presence of such “atmospheric blocks” ultimately promotes unseasonable surface and atmospheric warming, resulting in heat waves.

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Heatwaves can last for days or weeks as high-pressure zones slow wind and prevent clouds and other weather systems from entering the area.

Dr Budikova wrote: ”Local humidity, soil moisture, and precipitation conditions are shown to influence the ‘flavour’ of the heat waves, which are more likely to be oppressive in the southeastern US and extreme across the southern Plains during summers experiencing sea ice extent.

Cutting-edge computer modelling will next be used to confirm this statistical relationship between Arctic sea ice coverage and summer heat waves.

Dr Budikova, the study’s lead author, added: ”General circulation models would further elucidate the processes that are taking place in the atmosphere to drive these connections.”



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