Scientists at the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology correlated Arctic warming with extreme winter weather. The melting of the Arctic or Arctic ice can cause unpredictable winter weather around the world. Photos of melting glaciers and polar bears stranded on shrinking sea ice in the Arctic are perhaps the most striking images. The photos are used to highlight the effects of global warming and climate change.
However, the photos do not fully convey the consequences of Arctic warming. In recent years, there has been increasing recognition of the role of the Arctic in triggering extreme weather events in other parts of the world. In recent decades, the interior regions of Eurasia and North America have experienced unprecedented winters. This extreme weather occurs despite increasing global surface air temperatures.
One possible explanation for the increase in extreme winters comes from the so-called Warm Arctic Cold Continent (WACC) pattern. This pattern reflects the impact of increasing Arctic warming on changes in circulation on the surrounding continents.
This study analyzes data reanalysis and model experiments imposed by different levels of anthropogenic coercion. The new analysis has been described in Nature npj Climate and Atmospheric Science. The paper was published under the title “Arctic-associated increased fluctuations of midlatitude winter temperature in the 1.5″ and 2.0” warmer world” which can be accessed online.
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The researchers found that WACC exists on the synoptic scale in observations, model histories, and even future runs. In the future, the analysis suggests a continued WACC. However, the phenomenon occurs in cold weather which is slightly weakened due to overall global warming.
While the Arctic is already warming twice as fast as the global average, winters in the mid-latitude region experience colder and more severe weather events. For example, the winter of 2022-2023 saw record-low temperatures and snowfall in Japan, China, and South Korea. Likewise, many parts of Eurasia and North America are experiencing severe cold weather. Heavy snow and long periods of sub-zero temperatures.
Although there are many theories about this climate change phenomenon, an international research team led by Professor Jin-HO Yoon of the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST) in South Korea set out to investigate the phenomenon. They saw a link between severe northern hemisphere winters and melting sea ice in the Arctic.
The phenomenon is known as the “Warm Cold-Arctic Continent” (WACC), and they are investigating how this relationship changes with a warming climate.
Source: nationalgeographic
