Readers of this blog are familiar with the increasing number of studies linking the drop in Arctic sea ice to extreme weather events in the temperate latitudes, ie where a lot of people live, work, and grow food.
Above, one of my most popular vids explains, with Jennifer Francis and Jeff Masters.
Investigating the factors affecting ice melt in Greenland — one of the most rapidly changing places on Earth — is a major priority for climate scientists. And new research is revealing that there are a more complex set of variables affecting the ice sheet than experts had imagined. A recent set of scientific papers have proposed a critical connection between sharp declines in Arctic sea ice and changes in the atmosphere, which they say are not only affecting ice melt in Greenland, but also weather patterns all over the North Atlantic.
The new studies center on an atmospheric phenomenon known as “blocking” — this is when high pressure systems remain stationary in one place for long periods of time (days or even weeks), causing weather conditions to stay relatively stable for as long as the block remains in place. They can occur when there’s a change or disturbance in the jet stream, causing the flow of air in the atmosphere to form a kind of eddy, said Jennifer Francis, a research professor and climate expert at Rutgers University.
Blocking events over Greenland are particularly interesting to climate scientists because of their potential to drive temperatures up and increase melting on the ice sheet.
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A team of researchers led by the University of Sheffield’s Edward Hanna used a global meteorological dataset relying on historical records to measure the frequency and strength of high pressure systems over Greenland all the way back to the year 1851. Previous analyses had only extended the record back to 1948, so the new study is able to place recent blocking events in a much larger historical context.
When the researchers analyzed the data, they found that the increase in blocking frequency over the past 30 years is particularly pronounced in the summer, the time of year when blocking events are likely to have the biggest impact on ice melt.
What’s been causing this uptick is a big source of interest for climate scientists hoping to gain a better understanding of the events affecting the vulnerable Greenland ice sheet. In the new paper, Hanna and his colleagues suggested that declines in Arctic sea ice might be playing a role — and it’s a theory that’s heavily supported by another paper just out in the Journal of Climate. That study used both observational data and computer simulations to investigate the connection between sea ice declines and atmospheric changes in the Arctic.
Diminishing Arctic sea ice is a well-established trend at this point, driven by climate change-induced warming in the region. In fact, just last month, scientists reported that the maximum extent of Arctic sea ice this past winter had reached a record low for the second year straight.
In conjunction with the growing ‘cold blob’ in the North Atlantic, the rapidly melting Greenland glaciers will bring more weather extremes to parts of the U.S. and Europe.
=> What’s going on in the North Atlantic?
And also => March was the 11th consecutive month topping global temperature records
Reblogged this on A Green Road Daily News.
Before one gets all in a panic and sends your money off to Al Gore and company how about reading these two studies?
http://science.sciencemag.org/content/333/6043/747
https://polarbearscience.com/2016/01/09/paleoclimate-genetic-study-confirms-arctic-species-adapted-to-sea-ice-changes/
with this polar bear study thrown in
http://polarbearscience.com/2015/05/31/global-polar-bear-population-size-is-about-26000-20000-32000-despite-pbsg-waffling/
Of course this NASA study on changes in earths tilt and orbit causing heating for the next 25000 years should just be ignore.
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/milankovitch.html
And since with an ice free arctic we are to be blown away in a storm ignore this as well
http://www.dw.com/en/natural-disaster-insurance-costs-fall-to-six-year-low/a-18957272
Tom Master Bates madly through his “Manual of Inane and Irrelevant BS for Deniers”, and—-no surprise—finds some inane and irrelevant BS to ejaculate and regale us with. Although I AM glad that he has stopped talking about forests under glaciers in Alaska for the moment, I DO wish that he knew enough about the Milankovitch cycles to NOT refer to them as NASA “studies”. Moron!