Dat meen ik toch te begrijpen uit wat er in het artikel staat. Enkele quotes (eigenlijk bijna het hele artikel, maar dat is goed voor het archief 
):
):The Arctic Oscillation, which had been in its positive phase most of the winter so far, switched to a negative mode, bringing cold weather to Europe and changing the direction of sea ice movement.
The growth rate for Arctic sea ice in January was the slowest in the satellite record. After growing relatively quickly early in January, ice extent declined briefly in the middle of the month, and then grew more slowly than normal for the rest of the month. The slow growth likely stemmed from winds from the south and west that compressed the sea ice in the Barents Sea, and above-average temperatures and winds that limited ice growth in the Sea of Okhotsk.
The Arctic Oscillation turns negative
From November through the first part of January, the Arctic Oscillation (AO) was in a generally positive phase, which tends to bring warm conditions to the United States and Europe, and colder conditions to the Arctic. However, in the middle of the month, the AO shifted back to a negative phase. This shift helped bring cold air outbreaks over middle latitudes, notably a record cold snap throughout much of Europe.
The Arctic Oscillation also affects how sea ice moves in the Arctic, which can affect how much ice melts in the summer months. In December, when the AO was in its positive phase, ice was flowing from Siberia toward North America, and also south out of the Arctic through Fram Strait. That pattern favors a thinner, younger ice cover in the summer. In mid-January, the AO switched to its negative phase. In general, the negative phase of the AO tends to retain ice in the Arctic Ocean, leading to a stronger, more resilient summer sea ice cover. Ice motion charts for January confirm that in January, there was less motion across the pole and through Fram Strait but a stronger clockwise motion in the Beaufort Sea called the Beaufort Gyre.
Bericht laatst bijgewerkt: 13-02-2012 17:39
