European Heatwave's Unlikely Accomplice: An Ocean 'Cold Blob'
Researchers say the cold Atlantic anomaly can steer the jet stream and intensify European heatwaves, with more than 100 million people facing temperatures above 35C.
- Over 100 million Europeans are suffering in temperatures above 35C as a heat dome settles over the continent, with scientists linking the extreme weather to a North Atlantic 'cold blob'.
- Marilena Oltmanns, an ocean and climate physicist at the University of Bremen, found the cold anomaly creates a front that 'acts like a guide,' forcing the jet stream to bend northward around Europe.
- A 2016 study suggests these Atlantic anomalies are a 'common precursor' to major heatwaves, and researcher Sabine Bischof of the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel stated, 'With this cold anomaly, we have longer and more intense heatwaves in Europe.'
- Stefan Rahmstorf, head of Earth system analysis at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, stated he is 'very worried' about a weakening Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, noting a shutdown would have 'massive' consequences.
- Gerard McCarthy, oceanographer at Maynooth University, cautioned that a cold Atlantic does not prevent European warming, stating 'some of the hot extremes can actually be exacerbated by this cold blob.
15 Articles
15 Articles
In the Atlantic Ocean, south of Greenland and Iceland, there is an area that worries scientists about their unusual behavior. Known as “warming hole” (in Spanish, cold spot), the area had a temperature decrease of approximately 1.8°F (1°C) since the 19th century.Features of the cold spot and the role of ocean currentsScientists believe that this cooling does not originate in the surface of the sea, but in changes that occur in the depths of the …
The Local - No
European heatwave's unlikely accomplice is an ocean 'cold blob'
The heatwave battering Europe may have an unlikely partner-in-crime: a patch of cold ocean water south of Iceland and Greenland that can influence weather patterns over the continent.
Sharp contrast: European heatwave's unlikely accomplice: an ocean 'cold blob'
According to a recent publication, researchers have studied an intriguing mass of cold water near Newfoundland, Canada. It is a "cold blob" that could unfortunately sign the end of the southern Atlantic rollover circulation (AMOC), essential currents to maintain a temperate climate in Europe. Possible climate changes The current global warming has induced [...]
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