Melting Arctic ice is causing UK winters to get colder
New research suggests link between the Arctic melt and recent snowier winters
THE COLD, snowy northern hemisphere winters of the last few years may be down to the retreat of Arctic sea ice, according to research by American and Chinese scientists.
Rising global temperatures have caused a drop in the area of the Arctic Ocean covered by ice in summer and autumn. That has increased the temperature of Arctic air, according to the research headed by Dr Jiping Liu. This in turn reduces the temperature difference between the Arctic and more southerly latitudes over the Atlantic Ocean, which weakens the northern jet stream, the air current that normally brings Europe and the west its warmer weather. Warmer Arctic weather, it seems, also causes extra evaporation of water from the Arctic Ocean, which then falls as snow across northern latitudes.
The effect could account for the extremely cold weather which has killed hundreds of people across eastern Europe this year - as well as the snowy winters experienced by the British Isles in the two years previous. The Met Office's Adam Scaife told the New Scientist: "The study adds weight to a growing belief that Arctic sea ice is driving an increase of cold winters." He said his own team had also found evidence to support the link. But Dr Scaife warned that Arctic sea ice represents just one factor in a complicated picture. Last year, for example, a study found that small, entirely natural, changes in the Sun's output can also affect winter weather. Then there's the little-understood Arctic Oscillation which causes changes in northern weather through a natural variation in air pressure. However, while these other factors are variable, Arctic ice "is on a pretty consistent downward trend", says Scaife. A big question posed by the new research is whether the UK will get colder winters as Arctic ice melts further. "It's possible that future winters will be colder and snowier, but there are some uncertainties," cautioned Dr Liu. He hopes to clear up these uncertainties with his next project by running the data through various computer-generated climate models.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
'Unthinkable tragedy'
Today's Newspapers A roundup of the headlines from the US front pages
By The Week Staff Published
-
Passenger: 'pleasingly off-kilter' ITV crime drama
The Week Recommends There's 'plenty to be feared' in this British murder mystery set in a quiet northern town
By Adrienne Wyper, The Week UK Published
-
Crossword: March 27, 2024
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
US-China talks: can Biden mend ties with Beijing?
Today's Big Question Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to use visit to ‘re-establish contact’ between world’s two largest economies
By The Week Staff Published
-
Can climate change lose Russia the war in Ukraine?
Speed Read Russia's 'trump card' surprisingly took a major hit this winter
By Devika Rao Published
-
Do polar bears no longer need saving?
feature New study offers ‘glimmer of hope’ for some polar bears – but with caveats
By Amrita Gill Published
-
Is Henry Kissinger right about Ukraine?
Speed Read The US statesman made a controversial speech at a virtual Davos appearance last week
By The Week Staff Published
-
How the Taliban is rolling back the freedoms of the past 20 years
Speed Read Supreme leader has now announced that all women must cover their faces in public
By The Week Staff Published
-
Volodymyr Zelenskyy refused evacuation as Russian hitmen ‘parachuted’ into Kyiv
Speed Read Ukrainian president turned down opportunity to leave capital despite threat to life, adviser claims
By The Week Staff Published
-
Russia can still ‘win’ Ukraine war, Western officials warn
Speed Read Vladimir Putin adjusts tactics after ‘humiliation’ for second phase of invasion
By The Week Staff Published
-
Ukraine war: the atrocities unfolding out of sight
Speed Read Vladimir Putin’s strategy of ‘Russification’ is straight from Stalin’s playbook
By The Week Staff Last updated