A new study, led by researchers at the Universities of Bristol, Exeter and Bath has shed new light on a sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) event.
- The stratosphere is the layer of the atmosphere from around 10-50km above the earth’s surface.
- SSW events are some of the most extreme of atmospheric phenomena and can see polar stratospheric temperature increase by up to 50°C over the course of a few days.
- Such events can bring very cold weather, which often result in snowstorms.
- The infamous 2018 “Beast from the East” is a stark reminder of what an SSW can bring.
- The disturbance in the stratosphere can be transmitted downward and if this continues to the earth’s surface, there can be a shift in the jet stream, leading to unusually cold weather across Europe and Northern Asia.
(Source: University of Bristol)
