The jet stream, the narrow band of westerly winds circling the northern hemisphere, is stagnating, giving rise to severe heat across much of the globe, and climate change may be making it worse, a new study finds.
The jet stream, the narrow band of westerly winds circling the northern hemisphere, is stagnating, giving rise to severe heat across much of the globe, and climate change may be making it worse, a new study finds.
“The jet stream is currently in a stationary position, which means that weather systems are kept in a holding pattern that makes heat build up in some regions of the world, such as southern Europe, southern North America, and Eastern China,” said Liz Stephens, a climate scientist of the University of Reading, who was not affiliated with the new research.
Scientists have long posited that rising temperatures may be weakening the jet stream, which is formed by the collision of cold, Arctic air with warm, southerly air. With climate change, the Arctic is warming faster than the lower latitudes, narrowing the difference in temperature. As a result, the jet stream may be growing slower and wavier, allowing warm air from the tropics to flow north and become trapped over Europe, Asia, and North America, fueling severe heat and intense wildfires.
Read more at Yale Environment 360
Photo credit: geralt via Pixabay
