Europe’s heat wave could bake the Arctic
Records being broken across Western Europe
On Friday, more temperature records are falling in parts of Europe as the historic heat wave that brought the hottest weather ever recorded in Paris, London, Britain, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany shifts northward. In a few days, the weather system responsible for the heat wave will stretch all the way across the top of the globe.
It’s what this system, characterized by a strong area of high pressure aloft — often referred to as a heat dome — will do to the Arctic that has some scientists increasingly concerned.
First, Norway, Sweden, and Finland will be the focus of unusually high temperatures through the weekend, as a potentially record strong area of high pressure in the mid-levels of the atmosphere sets up over the region, blocking any cold fronts or other storm systems from moving into the area.
Temperatures in parts of Scandinavia will reach into the 30s or higher, on the heels of an intense heat wave in 2018 that led to an outbreak of damaging wildfires on parts of the region.
Bergen, Norway, already set an all-time record high on Friday with a temperature of 32.8 C.
So far this year, Arctic sea ice extent has hovered at record lows during the melt season. Weather patterns favourable for increased melt have predominated in this region, and an unusually mild summer has also increased melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet. Unlike with sea ice melt, runoff from the Greenland Ice Sheet increases sea levels, since it adds new water to the oceans.
If the entire ice sheet were to melt, it would raise global average sea levels by seven metres.
Ruth Mottram, a researcher with the Danish Meteorological Institute, says that as the high-pressure area, also referred to as a “blocking ridge,” sets up over Greenland, it could promote a widespread and significant melt event last seen in 2012. During that summer, nearly all of the ice sheet experienced melting, including the highest elevations that rarely exceed 32 degrees.
“As you have probably seen the Arctic sea ice is already at record low for the time of year so clearly we may be looking at a situation where both Arctic sea ice and Greenland ice sheet have record losses even over and above 2012 — though we won’t know for sure until after the event,” Mottram said via email.
Zack Labe, a climate researcher at the University of California at Irvine who focuses on Arctic climate change, said an Arctic heat wave could have major ramifications and may push sea ice to another record low at the end of the melt season.
“This appears to be a very significant event for the Arctic,” he said of the upcoming weather pattern.