Scientists Are Floored by What’s Happening in the Arctic Right Now

The data from NASA is ominous: January is reported as the ninth straight month of record-breaking global warmth. The warmth is not evenly distributed around the globe though, but concentrated in the Arctic. “Global warming has long been known to be particularly intense in the Arctic – a phenomenon known as ‘Arctic amplification’ – but even so, lately the phenomenon has been extremely pronounced,” explains Chris Mooney for the Washington Post. Likewise, Arctic sea ice is at low levels for the time year, promising reduced ice during the summer months. Climate researchers continue to warn that the warming climate combined with reduced Arctic ice could be weakening the jet stream – narrow air currents that move quickly about10 kilometers above the Earth’s surface and separate frigid air masses from the polar region and the warmer air from the south. A wobbly path contributes to more volatile weather patterns, warm days followed by very cold ones, and the patterns will disrupt agriculture and travel. – YaleGlobal