Summer weather patterns in North America, Europe and parts of Asia are expected to stall, according to new research that explores the link between Arctic warming and increasingly persistent and dangerous heatwaves. Rising Arctic temperatures mean that the jet stream and other major planetary winds have seen their circulation slow, resulting in high and low pressure fronts becoming stuck. This means that weather is less able to moderate itself, and could result in “very extreme extremes” of heatwaves, wildfires and floods. Such extremes are expected to reduce agricultural production and damage human health.
Summer weather patterns in Europe, North America and parts of Asia are expected to stall, according to new research that explores the link between Arctic warming and increasingly persistent and dangerous heatwaves. Rising Arctic temperatures mean that the jet stream and other major planetary winds have seen their circulation slow, resulting in high and low pressure fronts becoming stuck. This means that weather is less able to moderate itself, and could result in “very extreme extremes” of heatwaves, wildfires and floods. Such extremes are expected to reduce agricultural production and damage human health.