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The North American Winter Temperature Dipole

Discussion in 'Environmental Discussion' started by bwilson4web, Feb 2, 2018.

  1. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

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    Source: Is warming in the Arctic behind this year's crazy winter weather?

    . . .
    The jet stream – a fast, upper-level river of wind that encircles the Northern Hemisphere – plays a critical role. When the jet stream swoops far north and south in a big wave, extreme conditions can result. During the past few weeks, a big swing northward, forming what’s called a “ridge” of persistent atmospheric pressure, persisted off the West Coast along with a deep southward dip, or a “trough,” over the East.

    New terms have been coined to describe these stubborn features: “The North American Winter Temperature Dipole,” the “Ridiculously Resilient Ridge” over the West, and the “Terribly Tenacious Trough” in the East.
    . . .

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    . . .
    The new twist in this story is that the Arctic has been warming at at least double the pace of the rest of the globe, meaning that the difference in temperature between the Arctic and areas farther south has been shrinking. This matters because the north/south temperature difference is one of the main drivers of the jet stream. The jet stream creates the high- and low-pressure systems that dictate our blue skies and storminess while also steering them. Anything that affects the jet stream will also affect our weather.
    . . .

    An easy read,

    Bob Wilson
     
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  2. KennyGS

    KennyGS Senior Member

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    I wonder what the grey areas in the bottom map indicate (part of Texas)?
     
  3. RCO

    RCO Senior Member

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    Had it been redacted, or removed by Oriental/Asian hackers?
     
  4. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

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    About the gray areas: It’s Cold—And Hot—in North America : Image of the Day

    This temperature anomaly map is based on data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer(MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite. It shows land surface temperatures (LSTs) from December 26, 2017 to January 2, 2018, compared to the 2001–2010 average for the same eight-day period. Red colors depict areas that were hotter than average; blues were colder than average. White pixels were normal, and gray pixels did not have enough data, most likely due to excessive cloud cover. Note that it depicts land surface temperatures, not air temperatures. Land surface temperatures reflect how hot the surface of the Earth would feel to the touch in a particular location. They can sometimes be significantly hotter or cooler than air temperatures. (To learn more about LSTs and air temperatures, read: Where is the Hottest Place on Earth?)

    Bob Wilson
     
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