Sound Science Bite: January 29. Here We Go Again

Another record-breaking arctic air mass and yet more yuks about, "Where's global warming?" The short answer is, it is probably in the Arctic. Many climate scientists think the warming Arctic and the loss of sea ice are weakening the so-called polar vortex. This would induce lobes of the vortex (vortices in their own right, but not the polar vortex) to wander around like unstable tops whose slow spin is causing them to wobble all over the place. Mostly, the polar vortex seems to be migrating more and more toward Siberia in the winter, especially in February. However, lobes can also move down into North America. A cold Arctic would likely mean a strong vortex centered more firmly over the Arctic ocean. Continued warming and loss of sea ice is expected by a number of climate scientists to favor a tendency for the breaking up of he polar vortex. If this is the case, chances a lobe of the vortex finding itself in your neck of the woods in the winter from time to time may increase. Summers? Hot and hotter. But for now, global warming is not going to get you out of shoveling snow, sorry.