The influence of Arctic amplification on mid-latitude summer circulation

• Published in: Nature Communications
• Main Authors: Coumou, D., Di Capua, G., Vavrus, S., Wang, L., Wang, S.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2018
• Subjects: /dk/atira/pure/sustainabledevelopmentgoals/climate_action; name=SDG 13 - Climate Action; /dk/atira/pure/sustainabledevelopmentgoals/life_below_water; name=SDG 14 - Life Below Water; Arctic; Sea ice
• Online Access: https://research.vu.nl/en/publications/c677e311-2a59-4c4c-a225-b3b359879e6a; https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-05256-8; https://hdl.handle.net/1871.1/c677e311-2a59-4c4c-a225-b3b359879e6a; http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85051964422&partnerID=8YFLogxK; http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85051964422&partnerID=8YFLogxK

Accelerated warming in the Arctic, as compared to the rest of the globe, might have profound impacts on mid-latitude weather. Most studies analyzing Arctic links to mid-latitude weather focused on winter, yet recent summers have seen strong reductions in sea-ice extent and snow cover, a weakened equator-to-pole thermal gradient and associated weakening of the mid-latitude circulation. We review the scientific evidence behind three leading hypotheses on the influence of Arctic changes on mid-latitude summer weather: Weakened storm tracks, shifted jet streams, and amplified quasi-stationary waves. We show that interactions between Arctic teleconnections and other remote and regional feedback processes could lead to more persistent hot-dry extremes in the mid-latitudes. The exact nature of these non-linear interactions is not well quantified but they provide potential high-impact risks for society.