The Antarctic stratospheric warming event may be unfolding, disrupting the global weather system!
Antarctica's winter is about to end, giving way to a strange spring.
On September 13, the U.S. "Latest Science News" published an article.
A rare and powerful stratospheric warming event seems to be unfolding over Antarctica,
and may cause a chain reaction through the global weather system.
Both of Earth's poles are surrounded by cold air in the stratosphere,
which is located at an altitude of about 12 to 50 kilometers above the surface.
These air currents, known as polar vortices, help to trap cold air near the poles.
Compared to the vortex over the North Pole, the southern vortex over Antarctica is stronger, larger, and lasts longer.
In certain conditions, these systems can become looser and less stable.
The winds that maintain the polar vortex may weaken, allowing cold air to penetrate into lower latitudes.
Now, some weather analysts believe that early signs of this process have already appeared over Antarctica.
According to data from NASA's stratospheric monitoring system for European severe weather,
the Antarctic vortex has shown all the characteristics indicating an impending warming event: a decrease in wind speed.
The polar vortex in the Southern Hemisphere always weakens in spring, which is part of its normal seasonal cycle.
However, the data shows that the current weakening is occurring much earlier and more abruptly than usual,
indicating that a stratospheric warming event may be taking place.
This "sudden stratospheric warming" event is relatively common in the Northern Hemisphere, but rare in the Southern Hemisphere,
because its air currents are not disturbed by obstacles such as mountains and complex terrain.
Predicting how each stratospheric warming event will affect weather patterns is not always simple,
and it is not guaranteed to produce significant effects on the ground.
This event may affect global weather patterns.
In September 2019, a record-breaking stratospheric warming event unfolded over Antarctica,
and its intensity was so great that it affected the other hemisphere.
Predictions for 2025 do not show an event of the same scale as in 2019.
Nevertheless, this event reminds us:
Disruptions in the Antarctic stratosphere may trigger chain reactions far beyond the South Pole on a global scale.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1843192278245643/
Statement: The article represents the views of the author.