Harsh weather in the North Pole

A new study by Erik Kolstad and Thomas J. Bracegirdle is published in Climate Dynamics magazine, suggesting that one of the most obvious signs of climate change is the rapid decline in Arctic ice cover. This phenomenon leads to rapid changes in weather conditions in these areas.

Research shows that the region has so far been covered by sea ice that will face a new kind of extreme weather. This may have serious consequences for human activity in the northern region.

The study was made by a member of the International Polar Area Project IPY-THORPEX (Research and Prediction Testing System). This project focuses on studying extreme weather phenomena from within, with the goal of acquiring new knowledge to improve weather predictions.

Enhanced operation - and more severe weather

The study found the possibility of extreme weather events rising along the entire northern belt of the Arctic, including the Barents, Bering and Beaufort seas.While these areas have very few people, marine trade is expected to increase there, as the sea ice melts.

Dr. Erik Kolstad, at the Bjerknes Climate Research Center, who directed the study, said: 'A consequence of climate change is that new areas are formed, opening up opportunities for injury activities. trade '.

At the same time, trade activities in the North (eg fishing, oil and gas industry and transport) will be vulnerable to extreme weather.

Kolstad said: 'It is important that we have a system to predict these weather phenomena better, in order to limit the damage to people as well as future environmental disasters'.

Polar sky. (Photo: Bergen University)

In addition, there is a poor infrastructure available to respond to the Arctic sea accidents that need strengthening. As sea ice melts and commercial activities increase, this is becoming more important, according to a recent report published by the University of New Hampshire and the US National Marine and Marine Administration.

Cold air is 'fuel'

The Arctic climate has a lot of edge air. While conditions above the ice sheets are often cloudy and quiet, warm areas with surrounding seas are the target of extreme weather, such as mid-latitude storms.

A common feature of this type of weather is that they form when cold air masses move from above the ice sheets to warm waters and are warmed from below. In the North Atlantic, such conditions often appear along the Gulf Stream and northern branches. The Northeast Atlantic region (Greenland, Iceland, Norway Sea and Barents) is prone to cold gas explosion (MCAOs).

Good news

When the northern hemisphere's sea ice retreated quickly, the areas with the highest MCAOs frequency on this day were 'pulled' north. Therefore, the intensity of MCAOs along the inhabited coastal areas will decrease sharply. This may be good news for people living in the Norwegian coast, Iceland, the British Isles, and northern Europe.

Fly into the harsh church

The IPY-THORPEX team used three weeks in Northern Norway and used a high-tech aircraft to continuously fly into harsh climates and make accurate measurements.This activity has brought a significant amount of new data.

The highlight of the campaign is actually the unprecedented 'polar low' document, the northern relative of the tropical storm. Researchers have begun studying data to look for details not yet known about weather phenomena so far.

Refer:
Kolstad et al.Cold-air marine outbreaks in the future: an assessment of IPCC AR4 results model for the Northern Hemisphere.Climate Dynamics, 2008;30 (7-8): 871 DOI: 10.1007 / s00382-007-0331-0