Scientists believe that their findings will help European citizens to better prepare for extremely cold winters.
Climatologists from the University of Sheffield believe that climate change is connected with change of intensity of air currents on both sides of the Atlantic.
A new study on climate change shows that the recent pattern of cold winters in Europe and the US, mainly due to changes in the location of the jet air flow, approximately 10-15 kilometres above the Earth’s surface.
Another, somewhat unexpected factor that researchers call the warming in the Arctic and the shrinking Arctic ice. The fact is that due to the retreat of the Arctic ice to the North of the jet air flow shifted to the South and as a result not pass over the sea, and over Britain and other European countries.
“In the last one or two decades of warming in the Arctic could amplify the effects of the jet streams of wind. This may have contributed to some of the recent extremely cold winters along the East coast of the United States, as well as in the UK,” said Professor Edward Hanna, one of the participants of the study.
The team believes that their findings will help European citizens to better prepare for extremely cold winters.
By the way, almost simultaneously with the research of climatologists, scientists from NASA published a map showing the reduction of Arctic ice in the last three decades.
