Arctic amplification and Earth's climate. Animation of a global map showing how the jet streams (red and blue) are affected by a climate change phenomenon called Arctic amplification. The jet streams are high-altitude winds that form over the Earth's mid-latitudes caused by temperature differences between the cold poles and warm tropics, combined with the Earth's rotation. The jet streams influence the development of storms in the lower atmosphere. The animation shows the shape of the northern jet stream in the 1980s, as well as the minimum extent of Arctic sea ice (white) in 1980. Since then, general warming in the atmosphere has accelerated Arctic ice melt, with the Arctic warming twice as fast as the rest of the Northern Hemisphere. This led to the phenomenon called Arctic amplification, where the jet stream has weakened, causing more extreme weather such as droughts, floods, colds spells, and heat waves. The animation changes (at about 1 minute 30 seconds) to show the minimum extent of Arctic sea ice in 2012, and the changed a jet stream pattern typical of today (the 1980s ice and jet stream are pink for comparison).

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    00:03:07.000

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