Extreme Cold Weather In The US And UK Is Caused By Warming In The Arctic

Scientists discovered and agreed that warming in the Arctic generated extreme cold weather in the winter of the U.S. and the UK in 2014 and 2015. This involves the melting down of sea ice in the Arctic, the warming air temperatures ,and the augmenting ocean surface temperature.

The findings of the study were published in the Nature Climate Change. It was led by the international team of scientists including the University of Sheffield.

Q&A with @NOAA's Jim Overland: Is #Arctic warming fueling severe #winter #weather in the mid-latitudes? https://t.co/06Ea5NqTlm #climate pic.twitter.com/nsQuNZ2zs4

— NOAA Research (@NOAAResearch) October 26, 2016

The researchers discovered that the current pattern of cold winters is caused by natural changes to the jet stream's position. On the other hand, the rising temperature of the Arctic seems to generate coldness, according to Science Daily.

Professor Edward Hanna from the University's Department of Geography explained that they always had years with wavy and not so wavy Jetstream winds. On the other hand, in the last one to two decades the warming Arctic could well have been amplifying the effects of the wavy patterns. He further said that this may be contributed to some recent severe cold winter spells along the eastern seaboard of the United States, in eastern Asia and at times over the UK.

According to World Wild Fund, the global warming in the Arctic is faster and severe compared to the rest of the world. It has a warming rate of almost twice the global average. The effects of the warming in the Arctic would contribute to the increase of the global sea level and the extinction of fisheries. It could also stop the Gulf Stream. Meanwhile, Professor Hanna urges the public to prepare for severe winter weather and have access to extra crucial information that could aid make life-saving and cost-saving decisions.