Heat Domes Are Hotter and Lingering Longer—Because of the Arctic
Hot domes are warmer and persistent longer – due to the Arctic
A rapid warming Arctic leads to lasting summer extremes, such as the stifling temperatures of this month, suggests new research
The sun rises on Manhattan on June 24, 2025 in New York while the first heat wave of the year moves in certain parts of the Midwest and the East Coast.
Spencer Platt / Getty images
Climatewire | Temperatures finally fall into the east of the United States while a vicious heat dome is starting to calm down. But such a stifling heat at the beginning of the summer will no longer become frequent in the coming years.
Indeed, the heat wave of this week – which has released the centennial temperature records in certain regions – was clearly influenced by climate change, according to scientists. The heat dome is only a consequence of the “stuck” weather conditions which are increasing while the planet warms up.
A recent study, published on June 16 in the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Scienceswarns against the growing dangers of these lasting weather conditions, which can cause not only heat waves, but also strong precipitation and floods.
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This week, the heat index – or what the temperature really looks like human skin – has increased well above 100 degrees in many regions. Minneapolis also broke a last daily set in 1910 when the city reached 96 degrees on Saturday, and New York equaled its 1888 96 -degree record in Central Park on Monday.
The new study suggests that the phenomenon behind such extreme time can have a surprising origin: rapid warming, hundreds of kilometers away, in the Arctic Glacé.
Researchers from the National Laboratory of the University of Pennsylvania and Lawrence Berkeley have studied natural atmospheric models called planetary waves. These bancal air currents wind from top to bottom as they surround the globe – and when they intensify, they sometimes lead to storms or domes of heat stagnating in place for days at a time.
The study examined the frequency of “resonance events” of planet waves or temporary intensifications. They found that these types of blocked atmospheric models have tripled in the past 70 years. At the same time, extreme summer time – such as heat waves and floods – have also become more common.
Climate models have long been predicted that these models would occur more frequently with climate change. But the new study is the first to demonstrate that it already occurs, say the authors.
However, the exact causes of these planetary waves events are an active research subject.
Some research suggests that a rapid warming in the Arctic – which warms up to four times faster than the rest of the globe – modifies the atmosphere in a way that moves the stream jet to the south and affects the planetary waves. Other studies suggest that tropical warming can actually remove the jet stream towards the pole. And some researchers say that planetary waves can be affected by an showdown between these two influences.
Computer models are not always able to completely simulate these physical responses, making it a subject difficult to study. Scientists have studied – and debate – the exact physical effects of global warming on atmospheric circulation models for years.
But the new study adds to the evidence that the warming of the Arctic plays a role. It shows that the periods of warmer temperatures in high latitudes are associated with an increase in resonance events of planetary waves. He also demonstrates that the growing global contrast between land temperatures and ocean temperatures – because the land heats up faster than water in the world – has also played a role.
Other events also have an influence, suggests research. Strong events of El Niño, which warm up temperatures in the Pacific Ocean, also seem to cause temporary peaks in the events of planetary waves of meteorological ignition.
In short, several factors – both natural and at human origin – play a role. But climate change is a final influence, notes the study, warning that the extreme summer weather maintains intensification as global temperatures increase.
Other research also indicates the digital imprint of climate change on recent heat.
Central Climate, an organization of non -profit science and climate communication, has developed a scientific metric known as the climate change index which assesses the influence of global warming on temperatures around the world.
The tool estimates that high temperatures in large bands in eastern United States in recent days were at least five times more likely to occur due to climate change at the origin of humans.
“The magnitude of this heat dome at the start of the summer in the United States is remarkable,” the central scientist of the climate Zachary Labe said in a statement. “It is a brutal reminder that climate change makes these waves of heat dangerous and oppressive much more likely, affecting millions of people.”
Reprinted with E & E News With the permission of politico, LLC. Copyright 2025. E & E News provides essential news to energy and environmental professionals.
