By Blaine Friedlander

If you believe that last October’s Superstorm Sandy was a freak of nature — the confluence of unusual meteorological, atmospheric and celestial events — think again.

Cornell and Rutgers researchers report in the March issue of Oceanography that the severe loss of summertime Arctic sea ice — attributed to greenhouse warming — appears to enhance Northern Hemisphere jet stream meandering, intensify Arctic air mass invasions toward middle latitudes, and increase the frequency of atmospheric blocking events like the one that steered Hurricane Sandy west into the densely populated New York City area.

The article, “Superstorm Sandy: A Series of Unfortunate Events?” was authored by Charles H. Greene, Cornell professor of earth and atmospheric sciences and director of Cornell’s Ocean Resources and Ecosystems program; Jennifer A. Francis of Rutgers University’s Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences; and Bruce C. Monger, Cornell senior research associate, earth and atmospheric sciences.

The researchers assert that the record-breaking sea ice loss from summer 2012, combined with the unusual atmospheric phenomena observed in late October, appear to be linked to global warming.

A strong atmospheric, high-pressure blocking pattern over Greenland and the northwest Atlantic prevented Hurricane Sandy from steering northeast and out to sea like most October hurricanes and tropical storms from the Caribbean. In fact, Sandy traveled up the Atlantic coast and turned left “toward the most populated area along the eastern seaboard” and converged with an extratropical cyclone; this, in turn, fed the weakening Hurricane Sandy and transformed it into a monster tempest.

Superstorm Sandy’s extremely low atmospheric pressure and the strong high-pressure block to the north created violent east winds that pushed storm surge against the eastern seaboard. “To literally top it off, the storm surge combined with full-moon high tides and huge ocean waves to produce record high water levels that exceeded the worst-case predictions for parts of New York City,” write the researchers.

Greene, Francis and Monger add: “If one accepts this evidence and … takes into account the record loss of Arctic sea ice this past September, then perhaps the likelihood of greenhouse warming playing a significant role in Sandy’s evolution as an extratropical superstorm is at least as plausible as the idea that this storm was simply a freak of nature.”

For more on this story go to:

http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/March13/GreeneSandy.html

See also:

Superstorm Sandy Bigger Because of Arctic Ice Loss

By Elaine Radford The Inquisitr

Superstorm Sandy turned left toward New York and New Jersey instead of right toward the Atlantic Ocean like most October hurricanes, with disastrous consequences. Now a team of scientists from Cornell and Rutgers Universities believe they know the reason why. A report by Blaine Friedlander for Cornell’s Chronicle Online explained that summer 2012′s record-breaking loss of Arctic sea loss — apparently caused by global warming — is probably to blame.

The missing Arctic sea ice allowed the Northern Hemisphere jet stream to wander, which in turn allowed the Arctic air mass to push farther south. That created a block in the western Atlantic that prevented Hurricane Sandy from moving harmlessly out to sea. Charles H. Green, director of Cornell’s Ocean Resources and Ecosystems Program, and his colleagues have published their findings in this month’s issue of Oceanography.

Other observers noticed the atmospheric block at the time. During the storm, Jeff Masters at Weather Underground wrote a chilling description of what was happening:

“Think of the blocking ridge like a big truck parked over Greenland. Storms approaching from the west (like the fall low pressure system that moved across the U.S. from California to Pennsylvania last week) or from the south (Hurricane Sandy) were blocked from heading to the northeast. Caught in the equivalent of an atmospheric traffic jam, the two storms collided over the Northeast U.S., combined into one, and are now waiting for the truck parked over Greenland to move.”

The consequences of the meteorological traffic jam were severe. According to the latest numbers posted on Wikipedia, 285 people were killed along Superstorm Sandy’s path, and the “preliminary estimates” of the financial cost could be nearly $75 billion. People are still cleaning up the mess.

Could it happen again? If the researchers are right and the cause is loss of summer Arctic ice, it probably could. In a look at how global warming is opening up the once-mythical Northwest Passage, Doyle Rice for USA Today wrote, “No part of the world has seen as much dramatic warming in recent decades as has the Arctic.” He predicted that there will be ice-free shipping routes possible over the North Pole by the 2040s or 2050s.

But what’s good for global shipping may be bad for the people who live in the path of hurricanes like Superstorm Sandy.

For more on this story go to:

http://www.justiceaftersandy.com/?p=2256