Nature & Environment
Arctic Cyclones More Common Than Thought: Implications for Climate Models
Catherine Griffin
First Posted: Jan 18, 2014 03:26 PM EST
Arctic cyclones were once thought to be relatively rare. These storms, which churn across the top of the world and leave warm water and air in their wakes, can melt sea ice in the Arctic Ocean. Now, scientists have discovered that these storms are far more common than expected, which could have major implications for climate models in the future.
Cyclones are zones of low atmospheric pressure that have wind circulating around them. They can form over land or water, and go by different names depending on their size and where they're located. For example, in Ohio this low-pressure system would simply be called a winter storm. In tropical waters, extreme systems are called hurricanes or typhoons.
In this case, the researchers found that from 2000 to 2010, about 1,900 cyclones were present in the Arctic. That's about 40 percent more storms than previously thought. This 40 percent difference could be important to anyone who lives north of 55 degrees latitude-the area of the study. This includes the northern reaches of Canada, Scandinavia and Russia along with Alaska.
"We now know that there were more cyclones that previously thought, simply because we've gotten better at detecting them," said David Bromwich, one of the researchers, in a news release.
But how were these storms missed in the first place? The ones that were missed were relatively small in size, short in duration and occurred in unpopulated areas. That's why researchers combined and re-examined diverse sources of historical weather information, such as satellite imagery, weather balloons, buoys and weather stations on the ground. This allowed them to better assess the amount of storms.
"We can't yet tell if the number of cyclones is increasing or decreasing, because that would take a multi-decade view," said Bromwich in a news release. "We do know that since 2000, there have been a lot of rapid changes in the Arctic--Greenland ice melting, tundra thawing--so we can say that we're capturing a good view of what's happening in the Arctic during the current time of rapid changes."
The findings reveal a bit more about these storms, which could help inform models in the future. Currently, researchers plan to see whether or not the frequency of storms is increasing or not, which could have major implications for future ice melting in the Arctic.
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First Posted: Jan 18, 2014 03:26 PM EST
Arctic cyclones were once thought to be relatively rare. These storms, which churn across the top of the world and leave warm water and air in their wakes, can melt sea ice in the Arctic Ocean. Now, scientists have discovered that these storms are far more common than expected, which could have major implications for climate models in the future.
Cyclones are zones of low atmospheric pressure that have wind circulating around them. They can form over land or water, and go by different names depending on their size and where they're located. For example, in Ohio this low-pressure system would simply be called a winter storm. In tropical waters, extreme systems are called hurricanes or typhoons.
In this case, the researchers found that from 2000 to 2010, about 1,900 cyclones were present in the Arctic. That's about 40 percent more storms than previously thought. This 40 percent difference could be important to anyone who lives north of 55 degrees latitude-the area of the study. This includes the northern reaches of Canada, Scandinavia and Russia along with Alaska.
"We now know that there were more cyclones that previously thought, simply because we've gotten better at detecting them," said David Bromwich, one of the researchers, in a news release.
But how were these storms missed in the first place? The ones that were missed were relatively small in size, short in duration and occurred in unpopulated areas. That's why researchers combined and re-examined diverse sources of historical weather information, such as satellite imagery, weather balloons, buoys and weather stations on the ground. This allowed them to better assess the amount of storms.
"We can't yet tell if the number of cyclones is increasing or decreasing, because that would take a multi-decade view," said Bromwich in a news release. "We do know that since 2000, there have been a lot of rapid changes in the Arctic--Greenland ice melting, tundra thawing--so we can say that we're capturing a good view of what's happening in the Arctic during the current time of rapid changes."
The findings reveal a bit more about these storms, which could help inform models in the future. Currently, researchers plan to see whether or not the frequency of storms is increasing or not, which could have major implications for future ice melting in the Arctic.
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone