Global Warming

Global warming and more storms

The type of stalled jet stream pattern that brought almost daily rounds of severe storms to North America and parts of the Mediterranean during the latter half of May is linked to the record warming of the Arctic.

Researchers from Germany’s Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) combined two models that use machine learning to realistically reproduce the observed changes in the jet stream. They say it’s the first time artificial intelligence has been used in climate modeling.

“Our study shows that the changes in the jet stream are at least partly due to the loss of Arctic sea ice,” said Markus Rex of AWI. “If the ice cover continues to dwindle, we believe that both the frequency and intensity of the extreme weather events - in the middle latitudes will increase.”