Topline
According to a Science study, rapid Arctic warming could be caused by climate change. This was the first evidence linking February's deadly winter storm to human-driven global heating.
A study has found that the warming Arctic could be contributing to an increase in severe cold weather in the United States. AFP via Getty Images
The Key Facts
The Arctic is heating up at two times the global average rate, with melting sea ice and increasing snowfall in Siberia. This could cause disruption to the Arctic's weather system, which traps cold air. The researchers noted that this disruption could have a significant impact on weather patterns. It can cause the system known as the Polar Vortex to stretch, allowing cold air to move across parts of the U.S.A. and Canada. Researchers wrote that extreme winter weather in the U.S. became more common after the vortex was broken. There have been increasing numbers of stretching events ever since satellite observations began in 1979. Scientists believe that this stretching was responsible for the deadly Texas cold snap of February. Judah Cohen (MIT professor and director, Atmospheric and Environmental Research), a weather risk management company, stated that a warmer planet won't necessarily shield us from severe winter weather.
What we don't know
Based on observational data and computer modeling, the researchers' findings add weight to the counterintuitive notion that global warming could lead to more cold weather in certain places. Although there isn't yet any scientific consensus on Arctic warming's role in increasing cold extremes in the U.S.A, the Texas snowstorm of February has reenergized discussion.
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This year, the United States has been hit with a variety of climate-related disasters. These include severe heat waves and droughts, wildfires and storms, as well as hurricane Ida. Experts have attributed the increase in severity and frequency of these events to human-driven global climate change. However, it remains unclear what the causes are. Months after the fact, details of the February freeze in Texas that left thousands without power and killed hundreds are still being revealed. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (the U.N.'s leading authority on climate science) warned in a recent report that global temperatures could exceed the Paris Agreement limits unless there is drastic and immediate action. They also warned that certain changes that have already been made may not be reversed for many millennia. Even in the best-case scenarios, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change expects extreme weather events will get worse and more frequent. The U.N.'s weather agency recently reported on the rising severity and cost of extreme storms, but better warning systems mean that fewer people are suffering from them.
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U.N. says weather-related disasters have risen fivefold in the past 50 years Weather Agency (Forbes).
Report Finds Hundreds More Died In Texas Winter Storm Than State Says (Forbes)
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Science: Linking Arctic variability, change and extreme winter weather in America (Science)
