Climate Change pattern similar to weather

These two animations show monthly global temperature anomalies from 1990 to 2017. There seems to be a multi-annual anticyclonic circulation of  air temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere with a stronger cyclonic circulation in the Southern Hemisphere.

NH anti-clockwise?

SH clockwise?

Multi-annual temperature distributions would appear to follow the same flow patterns as weather systems.


6 Responses to Climate Change pattern similar to weather

  1. Nick Stokes says:

    “anticyclonic “
    I’m not sure what this means here. But the clockwise/anti is just because it’s seen from different sides. It seems to me patterns move West to East in both hemispheres.

    • Clive Best says:

      Yes that’s right. It seems to be the same movement in both hemispheres. A left handed corkscrew looking down from the North or a left handed corkscrew looking down from the South.

      I had a quick look at WebGL. Do you rely on WebGLEarth for the interaction?

  2. erl happ says:

    Agreed. Multi-annual temperature distributions would appear to follow the same flow patterns as weather systems.

    RE clockwise versus anticlockwise. In mid to high latitudes air masses move West to East in both hemispheres.

    Surface temperature varies with geopotential height.

    This is the causal relationship: GPH increases as the temperature of the air masses increase with the greatest variations above 500 hPa due to the changing ozone content of the air. Ozone gathers energy from the infrared radiation given off by the earth itself. So air temperature and high altitude cloud cover change with the ozone content of the air and with it the amount of solar radiation reaching the surface of the Earth and thereby surface temperature.

    Ozone content of the air increases with latitude, especially in winter and the air with sufficient ozone to affect air temperature is found down to 400 hPa at 60° of latitude.The increase in ozone in winter is highly variable on all time scales.

    Russian researchers suggest that the ionisation of the atmosphere due to cosmic rays facilitates the formation of O3 in the winter hemisphere. This is reasonable due to the fact that ionisation by ultraviolet light from the sun is lighter or nonexistent in the winter hemisphere.

    Cosmic ray activity penetration of the atmosphere varies inversely with solar activity being greatest at solar minimum. It is enhanced at higher air temperature and therefore provides a proxy record for sudden stratospheric warnings.

    The stratosphere is warm due to its ozone content and the absorption of long wave radiation from the Earth.

    Ionisation of the atmosphere, by short wave radiation from the sun is virtually confined to the ionosphere that is well above the stratosphere.

    Our conceptual confusions about the atmosphere are related to our lack of interest in ozone and where it is found and not found.

    • Clive Best says:

      Sounds interesting, but I don’t see why Ozone drives the multi-annual circulation. Certainly in winter ozone content increases at high latitudes low altitudes. I think this has been measured even at the surface in Antarctica.

      • erl happ says:

        Clive, not sure what you refer to as the multi annual circulation but I will comment on the role of ozone in creating polar cyclones.

        Look at surface pressure on the margins of Antarctica. How do you account for the planetary low in surface pressure there? What mechanism could be responsible for that?

        Ozone per se does not drive the circulation. But the difference in air density that is in part a product of the difference in the ozone content (and temperature) of the air streams that meet at the polar front is instrumental in creating polar cyclone activity. A cyclone represents uplift, it develops vorticity and at its core there is low surface pressure. Cyclones propagate downwards from jet stream altitudes.

        How do you account for the fact that areas of low surface pressure exhibit elevated total column ozone and a lower tropopause?

        What would be the consequence of a two kilometre difference in the height of the tropopause in adjacent air masses?

        What is it that is responsible for the planetary high in surface pressure over the Antarctic land mass in winter? What is the difference in the character of the air on either side of the polar front, or in other terms the air that lies on either side of the convergence zone that is the circumpolar trough in low surface pressure that surrounds Antarctica?

        If you want to understand the process forget about the Arctic and the northern hemisphere and look at what happens in the high latitudes of the southern hemisphere.

Leave a Reply to Nick Stokes Cancel reply