Will Global Warming Bring a Change in the Winds? Dust from the Deep Sea Provides a Clue.
Image of a dust plume leaving China and crossing the Korean Peninsula and Japan. Researchers studied the dust deposited in ancient ocean sediments in order to understand how wind patterns in this area have shifted in the past. Their findings provide a better understanding of how the winds may change in the future. Credit: SeaWiFS Project, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, and ORBIMAGE
The westerlies or westerly winds play an important role in weather and climate both locally and on a global scale, by influencing precipitation patterns, impacting ocean circulation and steering tropical cyclones. So, finding a way to assess how they will change as the climate warms is crucial.
Ancient Ocean Sediments Hold Clues About Warm Winds and Climate Change, Finds Study
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It is a common suggestion in philosophy ‘to learn from the past’ but it is also true in Science. A group of scientists believe to know the full effect of a warming climate on the future is to discover how the winds worked in the past. And how do they achieve that? By looking at ancient dust from the ocean.
Columbia University s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory’s climate researchers have proposed that by tracking how ancient westerly winds worked one can gauge the warming winds and their effects in the future. The field is of palaeoclimatology (the study of past climate) isn’t something new, but their proposed methods are definitely insightful and innovative.
Experts studied core samples taken from deep beneath the North Pacific Ocean
These samples included dust first deposited between 3-5 million years ago
They compared this dust from Eastern Asia to other dust moved by the wind
This allowed them to confirm that the westerlies move to the poles in warm periods - such as during the Pliocene when temperatures were 7F warmer
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The westerlies or westerly winds play an important role in weather and climate both locally and on a global scale, by influencing precipitation patterns, impacting ocean circulation and steering tropical cyclones.
The westerlies or westerly winds play an important role in weather and climate both locally and on a global scale, by influencing precipitation patterns, impacting ocean circulation and steering tropical cyclones. So, finding a way to assess how they will change as the climate warms is crucial.
Typically, the westerlies blow from west to east across the planet’s middle latitudes. But scientists have noticed that over the last several decades, these winds are changing, migrating poleward. Research suggests this is because of climate change. But, scientists have been debating whether the poleward movement of the westerlies will continue as temperatures and atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) increase further under future warming scenarios. It’s been difficult
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IMAGE: Image of a dust plume leaving China and crossing the Korean Peninsula and Japan. Researchers studied the dust deposited in ancient ocean sediments in order to understand how wind patterns. view more
Credit: SeaWiFS Project, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, and ORBIMAGE
The westerlies or westerly winds play an important role in weather and climate both locally and on a global scale, by influencing precipitation patterns, impacting ocean circulation and steering tropical cyclones. So, finding a way to assess how they will change as the climate warms is crucial.
Typically, the westerlies blow from west to east across the planet s middle latitudes. But scientists have noticed that over the last several decades, these winds are changing, migrating poleward. Research suggests this is because of climate change. But, scientists have been debating whether the poleward movement of the westerlies will continue as temperatures and atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2)