My interview with Jennifer Francis of Rutgers last spring touched on the effects of newly open arctic waters on the jet stream, and extreme weather that may be resulting from that. We’ve seen a series of extreme events globally, including the Russian heatwave of 2010, Pakistan floods of the same summer, and the unusual spring in North America, that are related to behavior in the jet stream.
In the above interview I conducted this past September, Dr Francis re-iterated that, following the crash of northern sea ice over the summer, fall and winter might well be “very interesting”.
For the record, there is not by any means a smoking gun connection between arctic events and the current east coast frankenstorm – but nevertheless, here we are…
According to Kevin Trenberth, asking whether a particular event is connected to climate change, is in any case the wrong question – all weather going forward carries the signature of increased warming, and increased atmospheric moisture.
Below, see the Yale forum video that discusses the arctic connection to jet stream effects.
She was quoted Friday in the Herald Tribune:
….
‘Crazy’ weather
In September, Arctic sea ice coverage reached its lowest recorded point since satellite tracking began in 1979.
Jennifer Francis, a research professor and expert on Arctic climate at Rutgers, recently predicted that the milestone would give rise to “crazy” weather this year, triggered by blocking.
The unusual storm heading toward the east coast this weekend falls in line with that prediction.
“It’s exactly the kind of thing I was talking about,” Francis said. “I can’t say for sure this particular pattern was influenced by the ice loss, but it is certainly the kind of thing we were expecting to see more of.”
….
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20121026/ARTICLE/121029673?p=3&tc=pg
indeed. thanks.
It seems we are seeing climate change at an accelerated pace- as I have said to everyone I know- its like a game of Russian Roulette – and in the northeast the gun is loaded and ready to fire. What a hell of a way to go- but in the end we must preserve the dream of America and its vaunted free enterprise system.
Changing an important global parameter such as Arctic sea ice… probably not smart, scientists say.