Source: Arctic ice melt 'already affecting weather patterns where you live right now' | Environment | The Guardian The chain of events that links the melting Arctic with weather to the south begins with rising global temperatures causing more sea ice to melt. Unlike on the Antarctic continent, melting ice here exposes dark ocean beneath, which absorbs more sunlight than ice and warms further. This feedback loop is why the Arctic is heating up much faster than the rest of the planet. This in turn narrows the temperature difference between the Arctic and lower latitudes, which is crucial because it is the temperature gradient between them that drives the jet stream wind, which streaks around the pole at up to 250mph and about 8km above the surface. The jet stream forms a boundary between the cold north and the warmer south, but the lower temperature difference means the winds are now weaker. This means the jet stream meanders more, with big loops bringing warm air to the frozen north and cold air into warmer southern climes. Furthermore, researchers say, the changes mean the loops can remain stuck over regions for weeks, rather than being blown westwards as in the past. This “blocking” effect means extreme events can unfold. Ahh, a link between polar and lower latitude weather events. Bob Wilson
Dumbest climate science ever.The nonexistant daylight is warming the Arctic? "The darkest time of year at the North Pole is the Winter Solstice, approximately December 21. There has been no sunlight or even twilight since early October. The darkness lasts until the beginning of dawn in early March."
It didn't start getting warm on December 21st. It's been over-warm since summer, when the sun was still up high (by Arctic standards) in the sky: DMI Arctic Temps 2016 Ocean and Ice Services | Danmarks Meteorologiske Institut
The largest net infrared energy trapping is at low latitudes and the largest surface air temperature increases have been at high latitudes. It could be worth the effort to meditate on that just a bit.
