Theory Tying Arctic Ice Loss To To Prolonged Extreme Weather, Once Fringe-ish, Now Widely Accepted

[hatrack]

When Jennifer Francis and others advanced the idea that arctic ice losses could be impacting extreme weather patterns in the temperate zone, it was considered cutting edge, or even fringe science. 7 years later, a steady drumbeat of observations and studies have strengthened the science, which is now, if not yet “pound on the table we’re done”, as Richard Alley says, but, very much in the mainstream discussion.

Axios:

Last summer’s extreme weather was a showcase of how global warming is altering our atmosphere, from a scorching heat wave that contributed to a spate of wildfires in Scandinavia and California to devastating floods and all-time record-high temperatures set around the Northern Hemisphere.

What’s new: A new study, published last week in the journal Science Advances, ties these events and other summertime extremes to human-caused climate change via an increase in a specific jet stream phenomenon, lead author Michael Mann of Penn State tells Axios.

Details: Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at UCLA who was not involved in the new research, explains the phenomenon — known as quasi-resonant amplification, or QRA — this way: “Quasi-resonant amplification refers to a condition where high-altitude winds across the Northern Hemisphere enter a spatial configuration favorable for the development and persistence of big loops in the jet stream,” he says.

EDIT

https://climatecrocks.com/2018/11/10/research-confirming-arctic-extreme-weather-link/

[Canoe52]

1. Peter Sinclair is the man!