Something extraordinary is happening above Antarctica, and it might bring unusual weather to the southern hemisphere for months to come.
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Articles on Polar vortex
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The world can expect fewer severe cold events as average temperatures rise, but people still need to be prepared for wintery blasts.
A particularly stormy winter has pushed perennial sea ice into the Arctic melt zone.
The Arctic region is warming much faster than the rest of the planet. The rapid loss of ice affects the polar jet stream, which influences weather patterns across the northern hemisphere.
The media often call unusually cold, snowy storms a ‘polar vortex.’ The real polar vortex isn’t coming down to visit the lower 48, but changes to the polar vortex can influence winter weather.
The jet stream is being distorted on both sides by fast-warming tropical and Arctic air. Should the tropics win out, weather patterns could change profoundly.
Natural gas supplies are growing, but so are other markets for it besides power generation.
Layering on winter gear is annoying. But with temperatures reaching minus 50 in some parts of the country, it is essential to protect your skin from frostbite, which can happen in minutes.
An atmospheric scientist explains why water can do some strange-looking things at very cold temperatures, and what’s different about snowfalls on Mars.
Life-threatening cold temperatures in the central US are caused by changes in wind circulation in the Arctic that bring cold air south. Climate change could make these events more frequent.
But it’s too early to tell whether climate change is to blame.
Many people around the world, in certain locations, have asked, “where is global warming?” This is because they have experienced very cold wintry conditions and weird weather that they do not associate…
Top contributors
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Distinguished Scholar, NCAR; Affiliate Faculty, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
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Lecturer in Meteorology, University of Reading
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PhD Candidate, London NERC DTP & Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling, UCL
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Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine, University of Pittsburgh
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Visiting Professor, Rutgers University
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Adjunct Professor of Environmental Science, CQUniversity Australia
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Professor of Climate Science, UMass Lowell
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Professor of Industrial Engineering , Iowa State University
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Professor of Atmospheric Science, Colorado State University
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Chemistry & Climate Processes Research Scientist, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
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Research Scientist, University of Colorado Boulder
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Professor in Physical Climate Science, University of Oxford
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Senior Lecturer in Atmospheric Science, UNSW Sydney
