Polar Vortex And Polar Jet Stream Are Facing An Earth-Changing Upset
The Polar Jet Stream protects us from the chilly Polar Vortex, but that could soon change.
author
TOM HALE
NASA map of Earth showing the Polar JEt Stream
This meandering red wave is the Arctic polar jet stream and it has a significant influence on weather.
Image credit: NASA.
Polar vortexes play a massive role in controlling our fate, at least in terms of the bitterly cold weather we face in the winter months. As global temperatures continue to creep up, we’re playing an increasingly dangerous game that could seriously upset this grand force of nature – the consequences of which are not totally known.
The Arctic polar vortex is a band of strong and cold winds constantly spinning in a counter-clockwise direction within the stratosphere between about 16 to 48 kilometers (10 to 30 miles) above the North Pole, as per The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
There’s a very similar pattern of air on the other side of the globe above the South Pole in Antarctica.
The polar vortexes are encircled and kept in check by the polar jet streams, which are like a ribbon of wind in the troposphere at altitudes between 8 to 14 kilometers (5 to 9 miles) above the Earth’s surface. The movement of the jet stream is driven by "the convergence of cold air masses descending from the Arctic and rising warm air from the tropics," according to NASA. They act a bit like a barrier between the warmer air in the mid-latitudes and the colder air in the polar regions.
https://www.iflscience.com/polar-vortex-and-polar-jet-stream-are-facing-an-earth-changing-upset-69970
