Impact of Unusual Temperatures in the Arctic Remains Uncertain

https://www.newsdeeply.com/arctic/articles/2016/12/01/impact-of-unusual-temperatures-in-the-arctic-remains-uncertain

THE REMARKABLE WEATHER pattern that has brought warm weather to the Arctic began around the middle of November when temperatures, already tracking above the long-term average, spiked even further. Temperatures were highest over much of the Arctic Ocean as well as the Canadian archipelago and the Barents region. In contrast, Russia’s Far East experienced very frigid temperatures.

How did this weather pattern get set up? Jennifer Francis, research professor for marine and coastal science at Rutgers University, explains that the low ice extent this fall meant more heat was absorbed and contained in the Arctic Ocean, reducing the temperature difference between the Arctic and lower latitudes. This likely resulted in a “very wavy jet stream that helped transport extra heat and moisture from lower latitudes northward into the Arctic.” The moisture allows more clouds to form, which in turn trap heat, further amplifying the warming.