Powerful streams of water vapor in the sky. In the past decade, they have increasingly penetrated into the Arctic, which contributes to a sharp reduction in the area of ??Arctic sea ice. Pennfei Zhang, a Pennsylvania State University scientist , notes that this process can have both positive and negative consequences. As the Earth warms, the Arctic becomes humid Atmospheric rivers carry heat and water from areas close to the equator to mid-latitudes and further north. For example, in January 2023 they led to extreme rainfall in California and New Zealand. Also, atmospheric rivers carry most of the moisture to the Arctic.
Their heat and precipitation can melt the ice sheet, and it whatsapp mobile number list will take longer for a new stable layer to form. Due to climate change, the temperature on Earth is rising. Accordingly, heated air is able to hold more steam . This process makes atmospheric rivers and storms more common, of global warming on the Arctic. How scientists have described the impact of atmospheric rivers on the Arctic Scientists have long believed that heat from strong moisture transfers can melt sea ice, but they were not sure to what extent. The fact is that it was practically impossible to install instruments on ice for long-term observations of energy exchange.
A group of American researchers found that the more frequent formation of atmospheric rivers causes the melting of the fragile ice sheet and slows down its recovery. Scientists have found that about 34% of the reduction in Arctic ice extent (from 1979 to 2021) can be attributed to an increase in the frequency of this natural phenomenon. What shrinking sea ice means for the planet This phenomenon has both positive and negative consequences. For example, due to changes in ice volume, ships will be able to sail from Northern Europe to North America and East Asia via the Arctic. This route will be much cheaper than across the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.