Effie Rossi, a senior scientist at Germany’s Potsdam Institute for Climate Research and lead author of the study, said the current heat wave appeared to be linked to such a “double jet” that she said had been over Europe for the past two weeks. . Dr Rossi said this could create a depression as well as an area of weak winds over Europe which allowed the heat to continue.
“It really seems to be contributing to this heat wave,” she said.
There may be other reasons why heat waves are more frequent and persistent in Europe, although some of these are currently debated among scientists. Dr. Rossi said that natural variations in climate can make it difficult to extrapolate specific effects.
Dr. Kornhuber said warming in the Arctic, which is happening much faster than in other parts of the world, may play a role. As the Arctic warms faster, the temperature difference between it and the equator is decreasing. This results in reduced summer winds, which cause weather systems to stay in place longer. “We’re seeing an increase in persistence,” he said.
There are also signs of change in one of the world’s largest ocean currents, Atlantic meridian inversion rotation, may affect the European climate. dr. Rossi published a study last year that showed, using computer simulations, that a weaker current as the world warms would cause changes in atmospheric circulation, leading to drier summers in Europe.
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