Record Arctic Sea Ice Loss Linked to Extreme Weather: Why Spring has Not Yet Sprung

Punxsutawney Phil may have predicted an early spring, but snowstorms are still plaguing the United States and other northern mid-latitude nations, such as the United Kingdom. So why is winter still here? The record Arctic sea ice losses may have something to do with it.

The public is well aware of the phenomenon of global warming. Yet few realize that warming conditions in the Arctic are having a global impact. At a news conference held on Tuesday, several researchers said that the melting ice may be weakening the jet stream currents and causing extreme weather systems to linger in the northern mid-latitudes.

The jet stream is a massive current of air that blows from west to east, several miles above the Earth's surface. It can change its position over time, pushing massive weather systems around and preventing them from staying in any one place too long. The jet stream is what causes rain to fall heavily in some areas, while leaving other locations high and dry.

As conditions warm, though, the Arctic sea ice continues to melt. This causes the Arctic water to also warm as it absorbs more energy from the sun. This, in turn, heats the atmosphere located above the water and can influence the atmospheric pressure.

In fact, the scientists noted that this phenomenon seems to have slowed the western jet stream. Usually, it speeds quickly along in a relatively straight line. The slowing jet stream means that the current can transport less warm air over land in the winter, causing snow and cold to flourish and giving an explanation why we have yet to see spring arrive.

Unfortunately, it's unlikely that we'll see these conditions improve. Last autumn saw a historic low in the sea ice that covers the Arctic, and estimates show that the region may be completely ice-free as early as 2020, according to the LA Times.

"The sea ice is going rapidly. It's 80 percent less than it was just 30 years ago," said Jennifer Francis, research professor with the Rutgers Institute of Coastal and Marine Science, in an interview with The Guardian. "This is a symptom of global warming and it contributes to enhanced warming in the Arctic."

As the Arctic continues to lose ice, it falls into a self-destructive pattern that causes it to warm even more. Ice reflects heat back into space. With less ice, the area absorbs more heat. With more heat, more ice melts.

This effect could have long-reaching and long-lasting impacts on regions such as the East Coast of the United States and the United Kingdom. Harsher winters and summers are probably in our future, so be sure to keep those winter coats on hand.