Research trio suggest correlation exists between Arctic ice melt and extreme weather
(Phys.org) —A trio of researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Rutgers University has concluded that there is a correlation between extreme weather in the mid-northern latitudes and warmer weather in the Arctic. In their paper published in Nature Climate Change, Qiuhong Tang, Xuejun Zhang and Jennifer Francis describe a study they undertook that involved analyzing both weather data and Arctic ice and snow cover over the past 30 years, which showed, they claim, that there were coinciding periods of reduced ice and snow cover in the Arctic and extreme weather in the U.S., Europe and Asia. In the same journal James Overland suggests the evidence presented by Tang, Zhang and Francis isn't likely strong enough to change the minds of those who believe there are too many factors at play to attribute extreme weather events to any one of them in particular. He does suggest that the potential...