Environment

Arctic Ice Loss May Drive Extreme Weather Patterns

Several researchers say that warming conditions in the Arctic may be weakening jet stream currents and causing extreme weather systems to linger in northern mid-latitudes.

Climate scientists have blamed melting sea ice for causing extreme winter in North America and Europe during this winter. Thickness of the ice is also a concern among the environmental scientists.

The jet stream is a band of very strong winds that blow from west to east, several miles above the earth's surface. Normally, these powerful winds push weather systems around, preventing them from staying in one place for very long.

However, the loss of sea ice in recent decades has allowed Arctic waters to absorb more heat energy from the sun, which has in turn heated the atmosphere above the water.

This heating influences atmospheric pressure and appears to be slowing the westerly jet stream. Instead of flowing quickly and in a relatively straight line, like a river down a mountain, the winds mimic a slower, meandering river.

Arctic sea ice is referred to as the planet's air conditioner, due to its influence on global temperatures. Last year, Arctic sea ice reached its lowest level in the satellite age.

This rate of sea ice loss is faster than what models predicted. Now, some experts say, the Arctic could experience a nearly ice-free summer by 2020.