China Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 Study: Less Arctic ice means more U.S. snow Most of the USA may have had a reprieve from crippling snowstorms so far this year, but remember the brutal winter of 2010-11? Continued onslaughts of frigid air and brutal blizzards made for a savage and deadly cold season across the country. Although it may be counterintuitive, frigid winters like last year's could be more commonplace in years to come, and the culprit might be diminishing Arctic sea ice, according to a study released today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. "The recent decline of Arctic sea ice has played a critical role in recent cold and snowy winters," the authors write in the study. The study's lead authors are Jiping Liu and Judith Curry of Georgia Tech. "Pronounced loss of ice may alter atmospheric circulation patterns," Liu and Curry suggest in the study, "weakening the westerly winds that blow across the North Atlantic Ocean from Canada to Europe…. The weakened westerly winds may, in turn, enhance blocking patterns that favor frequent incursions of cold air masses from the Arctic into northern continents." Additionally, Liu says that the increased humidity due to the open water of the ice-free Arctic can help provide the fuel that's needed to increase the snowfall. Click on the link for the full article Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjfootballer Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 These guys throw theories out like dung to wall. None of them really know what's going on with the polar ice caps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterMP Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 These guys throw theories out like dung to wall. None of them really know what's going on with the polar ice caps. Has little to do with the polar ice caps, other than there is less of them. The reasoning isn't rocket science. Less ice means more exposed water. More exposed water means more evaporation. More evaporation means more mostuire in the water. More moisture in the air means more precipitation, which when it is cold means more snow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twa Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 except wouldn't there be less overall evaporation if the earth is cooling? wouldn't the current change be the driving factor ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco Dave Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 Awesome!!! I love the cold and the snow!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sniffler Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 Has little to do with the polar ice caps, other than there is less of them.The reasoning isn't rocket science. Less ice means more exposed water. More exposed water means more evaporation. More evaporation means more mostuire in the water. More moisture in the air means more precipitation, which when it is cold means more snow. Peter, I know you meant air... but your mistake made me laugh. Kinda reminds me of... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elessar78 Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bang Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 Wait,, so more moisture in the atmosphere means more precipitation? Get the **** OUT with all that nonsense. ~Bang Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grhqofb5 Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 I was reading an article on Mars (the planet) the other day. Apparantly a long time ago, the planet was much warmer, which allowed there to be a much larger area of ice extending down (or up) from the Martian poles. Once the planet became colder, the ice receded to the poles. Hence, during warmer periods, a much more substantial area of the planet was covered in ice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DM72 Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 We had one of the mildest winters on record over here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sideshow24 Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 I was reading an article on Mars (the planet) the other day. . How the hell did you get on Mars? And did you bring your own water? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCsportsfan53 Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 Well, that settles it, I'm removing the catayltic converters from all my cars and all my neighbors cars this weekend. **** the ice caps, bring on the snow! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thiebear Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 [i Need more Money] =, Liu says that much more research will be needed before a determination can be made. Now tha we are using the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment satellite, we can get yearly updates of 12,000 locations vs. 12 locations and find out what the weather might be like the following year. We are currently 30% better off than we thought. Might give us another 12years of ocean front property. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.